


What Was Lost is Found Again

by Crystal_Prisom



Category: Mortal Kombat - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Enemies to friends to enemies again, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, Kuai is an Awesome Parent, M/M, Slow Burn, they're all idiots
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-25
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-17 05:46:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 25
Words: 142,991
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28969281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crystal_Prisom/pseuds/Crystal_Prisom
Summary: Liu Kang was able to defeat Kronika, but he couldn't prevent the resetting of the timelines. This opens up a whole new world of possibilities.In this new timeline, the Lin Kuei undergoes its Cyberization Process at an earlier time. In a desperate attempt to survive and prevent himself from being converted into a cyborg, Kuai Liang flees from the Lin Kuei and straight into a new danger.*In my sleep-deprived state, I wondered what would happen if Kuai Liang became a Shirai Ryu?*
Relationships: Hanzo Hasashi | Scorpion/Kuai Liang | Sub-Zero, Kuai Liang & Satoshi, Kuai Liang | Sub-Zero & Noob Saibot | Bi-Han, Kuai Liang | Sub-Zero & Smoke, Sonya Blade/Johnny Cage, minor Erron Black/Kuai Liang | Sub-Zero, minor Jade/Kotal Kahn
Comments: 62
Kudos: 77





	1. The Escape

**Author's Note:**

> NOTE: No ship stuff happens in the beginning when Kuai is a kid. I do not condone pedophilia AT ALL. Nothing happens for a while, so prepare for some LONG slow burn... Enjoy!!!

**_I don't feel any shame, I won't apologize_ **

**_When there ain't nowhere you can go._ **

**_Running away from pain when you've been victimized_ **

**_Tales from another broken home._ **

**\- Green Day, "Jesus of Suburbia"**

* * *

Kuai Liang hunched in on himself, scanning the room wildly as he trailed behind the senior Lin Kuei warriors down the dark hallway.

He was walking along to the Grand Hall where the Grandmaster was awaiting them. Kuai hoped that it would be good news, for once, but he knew it was a foolish thought. With the recent plans for the Grandmaster to convert all Lin Kuei warriors into machines, Kuai knew that this meeting would likely discuss his gruesome fate. He longingly stared up at the windows that were at the top of the hallways on either side – a glimpse into freedom, something that Kuai had never known his whole life. It was so far away, only making Kuai feel more hopeless with his current situation.

He was twelve years old, now; the ripe age where he was still childish and innocent yet able to understand the graveness of certain situations. For a moment, Kuai foolishly wished that he was younger, so that he may not understand anything that was transpiring within the clan walls. The sight of the windows above brought him back to fonder memories where he’d spend his short leisurely time with Tomas in his room. He hadn’t seen the enenra the entire day, and he was worried for Tomas.

_Had the Grandmaster got him, too?_

Kuai felt a sharp rap on the back of his lower leg, making him stumble in his steps. He looked up with wide, fearful eyes to see a senior guard looming over him, holding onto the shaft of a spear; likely what he had used to hit Kuai with.

“You know,” Kuai said, unable to help himself, “that wasn’t very nice. Maybe if you were less of an asshole, people would respect you more.”

The guard jeered, leaning in close so that Kuai could smell the rotten breath as he spoke, “Well, I’m not getting paid to be nice; I’m getting paid to discipline idiotic children like you. Move it!”

He pushed the butt end of the spear into Kuai’s chest, making him fall back into the crowd of marching people. Kuai walked along with them, feeling like he was a zombie and that he – along with the other mindless Lin Kuei walking with him – were marching toward the Grand Hall to tear the throats out of the cruel Grandmaster.

Kuai eventually stepped into the Grand Hall, taking a seat at the very back of the room. He bowed his head, trying to stay out of sight as the Grandmaster stood up onto his feet. Kuai’s stomach churned. The sight of him made his blood boil, as a hand lifted up subconsciously to briefly touch the fresh scar over his right eye that had been put on his face by the Grandmaster’s order days before.

The disgusting old man stared out into the crowd, smiling sinisterly. “Welcome, my brothers,” he started.

 _Yeah, right._ Kuai scoffed in his mind. _Like any one of us here is equal to you._

“I have excellent news regarding the Cyberization Project, as well as an update to give you,” he continued to speak. “We have produced our first line of cybers, and the results are a success!”

He paused, letting the applause from the crowd wash over him. Kuai grit his teeth and played along. Each clap felt like his hands were burning.

When the claps died out, the Grandmaster continued. “Now, for the update! My most respectable warriors, Sub-Zero and Sektor, have approached me to offer their counsel. I have decided to spare my senior warriors from the Cyberization Process. They have proved themselves time and time again to be great warriors for the Lin Kuei’s cause.”

Kuai looked up onto the stage where Bi-Han was standing to the right of the Grandmaster. His cold, harsh eyes swept the crowd. Kuai shuddered, bowing his head once more. A long time ago, they were once close. However, the prospects of glory and fame had corrupted Bi-Han and drove him away from Kuai Liang – the young boy could not recognize his 18-year-old brother anymore.

 _Of course, he convinced the Grandmaster to not make him a cyborg._ Kuai thought to himself angrily. _He has a silver tongue like a snake. I don’t know what I expected._

On the day he got his scar, Bi-Han had been the one to carve it into his face. The Grandmaster had been beyond pleased, applauding Bi-Han’s dedication to his word. Bi-Han had cut into Kuai’s face, fixing his cold, black eyes onto Kuai the whole time. Kuai had fled to his room, his heart pounding as the tears stung the new cut. 

“Behold!” the Grandmaster in the present exclaimed with a flourish of his hand. “The next generation of the Lin Kuei!”

The red curtain behind the stage dropped, and Kuai’s eyes widened in shock and fear. There, standing still on the stage, were twenty different cyborgs of different colors. However, the one that caught his attention was the steel-grey cyborg with smoke rising off of its body. It’s red eyes stared blankly toward the crowd, and Kuai had to resist the urge to throw up.

_Tomas, what did they do to you?!_

Kuai couldn’t even recognize the young child from the robot – the only similarity the two had was the smoke rising off of their bodies. Kuai swallowed nervously, his adam’s apple bobbing up and down as he forced himself to look away.

 _I have to get out of here. I_ **_HAVE_ ** _to! I don’t know where to go, but wherever I end up, it can’t be worse than_ **_this._ **

“That is all I have for you, my friends,” the Grandmaster spoke, a sneer on his face. “Return to your dorms and sleep well – it will be your last night of rest. Tomorrow, we will put the Cyberization Project to full effect – with everyone!”

 _I have to leave tonight._ Kuai thought as he fell into the crowd, walking back to the dorms in a state of shellshockedness. _I have to leave this hell tonight._

* * *

Kuai stared out his window, lying in his "bed" with his eyes wide open.

He was trying to stay awake until it was the dead of night, so he busied himself with identifying the constellations in the night sky, counting them off one-by-one. The standard "beds" that were issued to the Lin Kuei were actually just a bedroll on the floor. Kuai didn't mind - he had adjusted to the pain a long time ago. His few belongings had all been packed into a simple backpack, and he had taken the towels, sheets, and blankets to create a rope that he would use to climb down the sides of the building.

Finally, when the moon was at its highest point in the night sky, Kuai slowly stood up onto his feet, grabbing his backpack at the foot of the bed. He walked across the floor, placing his feet on the places he knew would not creak under his weight – the practice of doing this multiple times in the past would finally help him that night. He finally reached the window, opening it slightly.

All windows in the Lin Kuei complex had wire mesh on them, sealing the way shut. However, Kuai was not _any_ Lin Kuei warrior. He was a cryomancer.

He concentrated to make a misshapen knife out of ice – while he hadn’t perfected the shape just yet, he was still able to give it that sharp edge that he needed. Slowly and methodically, he started to cut through the mesh until he was able to push it to one corner. Carefully, Kuai lowered the rope he had made of the cloths in his room, looking outside to see that he had measured the distance correctly – it touched the ground.

Quietly, Kuai slowly moved out of the room through the window, grasping the rope with both hands as he planted his feet on the wall outside. Cautiously, Kuai started to descend from the window, taking one step at a time as he carefully measured his steps. _How tragic would it be,_ he thought to himself, _if I died by falling from here when I was so close to escaping?_

Fortunately, he was not fully out of luck, yet.

His feet planted themselves in the firm snow on the ground, sinking into the white substance. With wide eyes, he tilted his head up to see how far he had climbed down, reveling briefly in the cool air that ruffled through his hair. He shouldered his bag, making sure it was secure on his back, and took off to the tree line, disappearing into the forest.

* * *

Kuai panted, sprinting with all his might as he tore through the forest, not minding the sting as branches whipped his face and arms. He needed to get as far away from the Lin Kuei while he had the advantage of the night on his hands. He could already see the end of the forest up ahead.

He finally came to a stop at a tree with a blue ribbon wrapped around the trunk – an indicator of the boundaries of the Lin Kuei territory. Kuai paused in his flight, absorbing the full impact of his decision to flee. By doing this, he would be labeled as a turn-cloak and traitor of the Lin Kuei. There would be no turning back – his people would try to kill him if they ever saw him again.

Taking a deep breath, Kuai never turned back. He carried on through the forest line, running out of the forest and into the small clearing, bolting through the snow with surprising grace and agility. He crossed through the clearing and disappeared into another section of the woods – unclaimed and untouched by the Lin Kuei's hands.

Still, Kuai forced himself to keep running. He knew that he had to put as much distance between himself and his old clan as possible. He continued to run, seeing the sunrise in the distance – the golden warm light filtering into the woods through the top branches of the barren trees without any leaves. Still, Kuai ran.

He ran until the sun was high in the sky, marking the afternoon of the day after he fled. He allowed himself a short break to recuperate, feeding on some bread in his backpack and drinking from his thermos. Then, he was off again. The panic of getting caught never faded, only spurring him onwards. He ran until his feet were sore, and then ran some more. 

Kuai ran until the snowy barren lands were replaced with flowing waterfalls and deciduous trees with red, orange, and yellow leaves. Perhaps, he would have spent some time admiring the scenery, had he not been running for his freedom and life. 

He ran in upended dirt and green, luscious grass. He heard songbirds singing their tunes in the trees and even saw a stag strolling through the trees. Still, he continued to run. 

When the sun was disappearing over the horizon, Kuai ran until he fell to the ground, tripping over a tree root as he looked around him. He was finally able to take in the beauty of the warm environment. It only then occurred to him that this was an area far away from the Lin Kuei - possibly an area that they wouldn’t be able to find him. 

_Could he rest, now?_

Getting back onto his sore feet, Kuai looked around him, still panting slightly from the marathon he had just finished. He finally laid his eyes on a hollowed-out part of a tree trunk that probably used to be occupied by an animal for a burrow, at some point. However, it was also big enough to shelter twelve-year-old boys. Kuai shook off his backpack tiredly, dragging himself to the burrow and entering it. He let the sounds of the forest life wash over him, lulling him to a blissful slumber.

* * *

Hideo Hasashi, General of the Shirai Ryu, woke up that peaceful morning when the sun was shining in the blue, cloudless sky. He kissed his slumbering wife, Aiya, on the cheek before rising out of bed.

After cleaning and dressing to perfect his appearance, the man exited his house to the sight of his clanspeople bustling in the village, completing their morning duties. Hideo observed the morning warriors depart, making sure that there were no threats residing in their territory.

He walked through the cobblestone pathways, nodding in greeting to the families of the warriors who were standing outside their houses and watching the children play. He finally came to a stop in front of a specific house, knocking firmly on the front door two times.

A young, petite woman answered, looking up with a warm smile, bowing once respectfully. “Ah, good morning, Father. Have you come to see your grandson?”

“Nothing would please me more, Harumi,” he replied, bowing in return. “Tell me, is my son still here? Or has he gone to join the others in the morning patrol?”

“You know how Hanzo is,” Harumi said with a smile, leading Hideo into the house. “He’s very dedicated to the clan. He woke up early this morning to leave. I think that he’s desperate to leave the house - with Satoshi crying all night, it has been rough for the both of us.”

She walked off, returning shortly after with a baby cradled in her arms. “Satoshi,” she whispered slightly, bouncing the baby gently to soothe him. “Your grandfather has come to visit, again.”

She handed Satoshi to Hideo, who cradled the baby preciously. Immediately, Satoshi started to wail, his face turning red as he cried loudly. Harumi laughed apologetically, taking him back into her arms. “He’s a very noisy baby,” she declared, trying to get him to stop crying. “He’ll be a very outgoing person when he grows up; just like Hanzo.”

“I should leave, now,” Hideo said, the corners of his eyes wrinkling with his smile. “The warriors should be returning momentarily - the territory is not big, after all. I will welcome them back.”

Harumi nodded, smiling gently at her father-in-law. “See to it that you reprimand Hanzo for leaving me alone with Satoshi,” she said in a mock-angry tone. Hideo laughed in response, waving a hand in farewell as he left the new mother to try to silence the infant.

* * *

Kuai was startled awake from a nightmare, only gasping for breath when he awoke. He had been trained to keep silent in all situations and was punished terribly until the lesson was ingrained into his mind. 

However, when he woke up from his slumber, Kuai found his legs and hands tied onto a pole. He was being carried horizontally, with a blindfold tied around his face. Despite his temporary blindness, he could tell that there were people on either end to hold onto the pole and suspend him in the air. Kuai started to struggle in earnest, the panic settling in. 

_Had the Lin Kuei found him? Was he being brought back to the clan to be cyberized?_

“Please,” Kuai cried as the hope and fight started to leave his body. “Don’t hurt me. I don’t wanna be a brainless machine!!!”

“Shut up!” a man walking on the side of him snapped, hitting him in the side to silence him.

Kuai sobbed, letting the tears fall down his face to the forest ground below him. He had run for a full day, but evidently, it hadn't been enough. Kuai cursed himself for taking a complacent stance when he decided to rest in that tree hollow. Suddenly, he felt the kidnappers stop in place before he was dropped, falling to the ground with a solid _thump._

The child gasped as his bonds were loosened to slip the pole away from him, but not enough to let him break free. Soon, the ropes were tied even tighter around his wrists and ankles, and he flinched at the presences around him, curling in on himself like he would at the Lin Kuei.

“I don’t want to die,” Kuai whimpered.

“By the gods!” a male voice cried out. “He’s a child!”

“A child wearing Lin Kuei colors and symbols,” a gruff voice replied, kicking Kuai to his stomach on the ground. He let out a yelp at the sudden action, feeling the boot dig into his back. “He could be a spy.”

“Where did you find him?” a soft female voice questioned.

“In a hollow in a tree on the outskirts of our territory,” the gruff voice replied. Kuai hid his face in the dirt, his shoulders shaking from fear. 

Kuai could hear footsteps crunch through the leaves as they slowly approached him on the ground. “Stay away from him, Harumi!” the gruff voice called out, a lilt of panic.

At the sensation of a soft hand on his cheek, Kuai flinched immediately. “Please,” he whispered hoarsely. “I don’t wanna be a machine. Don’t take away my free will.”

“What do you mean, child?” the man who had first spoken asked curiously. “And for the Elder Gods’ sake, take that blindfold off of him, Hanzo! Since when have the Shirai Ryu been cruel to children?”

Kuai heard a grumble above him, and suddenly, he was being lifted up to a sitting position. He felt a rough hand pull the cloth away from his eyes as bright light entered his vision, blinding him temporarily. He blinked rapidly, turning away from the sun to recover as his vision adjusted. 

He looked around him wildly, taking in the awe-striking sight of children playing with laughter as their parents joined them. There were distant farmlands behind the houses of the village where farmers were tending to the crops. The sight of this peaceful village offered Kuai a moment of respite before his panic doubled - he needed to get far away from these people before the Lin Kuei traced his steps here.

“Why are you here, young one?” the feminine voice asked him. Kuai looked up with wide eyes, seeing warm honey brown eyes like his and a heart-shaped pale face with red lips. Her long raven hair flowed in the gentle breeze above her white robes with golden accents, and a rose was tucked behind her ear. He felt comfortable in her presence, and his rapid breathing started to slow. 

“I… I ran away,” he said quietly, bringing his knees up to his chest as he curling into himself protectively from these strangers. “My clan, the Lin Kuei, they… the Grandmaster was turning all the clanspeople into cyborgs; I escaped the night before last night. I ran the entire day yesterday.”

The woman looked up to a man dressed in ornamental, decorative yellow robes with black markings. Kuai recognized the man to be the leader of this group of people. He looked down at Kuai with kind eyes. “You do look tired, young one. However, we can not confirm whether you are telling the truth. I’m afraid that you can not stay here.” 

Kuai felt relief settle in his bones; his first interaction with people other than the Lin Kuei had proved to demonstrate what the young cryomancer had been missing his entire life. “I understand,” he replied, nodding. “I will leave now, then, if I am still able to.”

A man from behind Kuai, the gruff antagonistic voice, retorted in response. “We’re not going to let him go, are we? If we let him go, he could run back to the army of Lin Kuei waiting to attack! Cyborgs? What foolish prattle is this? He’s seen too much - we should kill him.”

Kuai’s eyes widened. _Was he going to die here? After everything that happened to him? After everything he went through to get to this moment?_

“Hanzo,” the man in the robes spoke sternly, “enough. He is a child, and the Shirai Ryu are not child-killers. If the Lin Kuei do attack, we will be ready. Now, cut him loose. I can only imagine how scared he must be if he is telling the truth.”

“But Hideo,” Hanzo protested.

“Now, Hanzo!” Hideo snapped. “As your father and General, I am commanding you to.”

For a moment, Hanzo didn’t move, and Kuai was worried that the man would kill him anyway. However, he walked around Kuai until he was standing in front of him, sawing through the ropes on his ankles. He was wearing his dark black hair tied back in a ponytail and was clearly a warrior based on the yellow gear he was wearing; a yellow headband was tied to his forehead, holding his hair back.

As the warrior started to cut through the ropes on Kuai’s wrists, he glared at the cryomancer with dark eyes that made Kuai resist the urge to recoil from the man. It reminded him too much of Bi-Han’s dark eyes - the only difference being that Bi-Han’s eyes were cold, while Hanzo’s blazed in flames of anger. “If you bring the Lin Kuei to us,” he growled under his breath so that only Kuai could hear, “I will see to it myself that you are burned alive.”

With the ropes falling to the ground, Kuai got onto his feet on shaky legs. The exhaustion from yesterday hit him; Kuai gritted his teeth as he stomached the pain from the bottoms of his feet, taking shaky steps forward. 

Surprisingly, the faces of the other Shirai Ryu warriors that had found and carried him were strangely uncertain and borderline sympathetic. Kuai clenched his fists around the straps of his backpack, looking toward the General of the Shirai Ryu and the woman. He bowed respectfully, his back screaming in protest as he did so. 

“Thank you for your help and hospitality,” Kuai Liang murmured. “I will make an effort to lead the Lin Kuei away from this peaceful place.”

Turning around before either one of them could give him a reply, Kuai took slow, firm steps through the village toward the tree line to leave the people be. It was only determination and the fear of the Lin Kuei that pushed him forward. However, the exhaustion of running for a whole day overwhelmed him. He was at the tree line when his legs collapsed, forcing him to fall onto his hands and knees as he gasped in pain.

Immediately, he felt soft hands on his back, helping him up. It was the woman, Harumi, he noted. She must have followed in his steps, seeing his drained form. “You are in no condition to go anywhere,” she scolded gently, her eyes looking down at him with concern. “Come, stay for a day. Rest, and regain your full strength before you leave.”

“No,” Kuai gasped, weakly fending her off as the cruel faces of the Grandmaster, Sektor, and his older brother swam in his vision. “I can’t; I can’t bring the Lin Kuei here. I can’t ruin more lives!”

“Enough,” Harumi spoke firmly, gently guiding Kuai back. “I will take care of you myself. Do not worry about my husband - he has a brash temper and is very mistrustful of strangers, but he will listen to me.”

“No,” Kuai repeated again, panting from the effort of walking to the assembly of murmuring warriors. “He only seems to hate Lin Kuei.”

_Not that I can blame him..._

“This young man is too weak to continue his journey,” Harumi declared to the group. “I will nurse him back to health. Is that a problem?” she asked with a steel note to her voice, cocking an eyebrow in a challenge.

There were no replies. Hanzo opened his mouth to protest, but a venomous glare sent in his direction by his wife was quick to silence him. Harumi nodded, a pleased smile on her face, as she looked down to Kuai.

“What is your name, young one?” she asked, guiding him away from the people and towards the houses. 

“Kuai,” the cryomancer replied, the name sounding unusual on his tongue. In the Lin Kuei, you only went by your codename - your original name was left forgotten. “My name is Kuai Liang,” he said, both in reply and remembrance.

“Well, Kuai,” Harumi said, stopping at a door to one of the bigger and nicer houses. “I hope that you don’t mind the sounds of a screaming newborn as you rest.”

Walking inside, Kuai was taken aback by the feeling of comfort that he felt. There were many items of self-indulgence that he had never seen in the Lin Kuei - sofas, armchairs, personal plates and cups. Harumi led him into a room in the back of the house. Stepping inside, Kuai saw an actual bed - one that had a mattress and two plush, soft pillows. The sight of this soft bed only made Kuai more sleepy. He couldn't stifle the yawn that overtook his weary face, making Harumi laugh sympathetically as she left him to sleep.

The sounds of Satoshi crying echoed through the house, but Kuai didn’t mind. It was another reminder that he was still alive, for now. 

* * *

Harumi emerged from the house, walking straight to the main temple where Hideo and his wife, Aiya, resided. She marched through the doors, heading straight toward the office in the house where shouting and arguing could be heard from the entrance of the house.

She opened the door with a slam, silencing the people. Hideo was sitting behind his desk, obviously frustrated as Hanzo’s face was red, no doubt from shouting a storm. Aiya had a look of disapproval on her face - whether it was for Kuai or against Kuai, Harumi didn’t know, yet.

“You were very rude to that boy,” she chided Hanzo angrily. “Didn’t you see the look on his face? He was obviously tired, scared, and terrified for his life, no thanks to you!”

“Where is the boy, Harumi?” Hideo sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose as he interrupted Hanzo's retort.

“I tucked him to sleep in the guest bedroom,” Harumi replied. “He was out like a light. I don't care what anyone says; Kuai Liang is _not_ a threat to the Shirai Ryu.”

“You don’t know that for certain, Harumi,” Hanzo sighed, starting to calm himself. “The only facts we know are that he is a Lin Kuei warrior who was found on our land. This, combined with his ludicrous story… do you really think that he’s telling the truth?”

“Then find out,” Aiya spoke calmly, ever the voice of reason. “Head to the Lin Kuei and observe. Travel by horseback - you can ride there and back in one day. Confirm the boy’s story, and he has our trust as a child running away from his oppressive clan. If it is not true, he leaves tomorrow.”

“Fine,” Harumi said, nodding in agreement as the terms satisfied her.

“Fine!” Hanzo huffed, storming out of the office angrily. “I’ll leave right now.”

When he was gone and Harumi could hear the sound of hoofbeats fading into the distance, Hideo sighed in relief. “How did our son become so stubborn and hot-headed?” he asked Aiya, who only smiled in amusement. 

“He takes after you, dear,” she replied, before looking to Harumi. “Could you take me to the boy, Kuai Liang? I would like to meet him and judge his words for myself.”

Harumi bowed respectfully towards her and the General, standing upright again. “Please, Aiya, follow me.” The two women exited the house and walked on the stone paths, nodding in greeting to the families in the neighboring houses until they came to Harumi’s house at the end, set aside from the others in seclusion.

When they entered, Harumi let out a gasp as she saw the sight before the two women. Kuai looked up with wide eyes, holding a milk bottle in his hand as he cradled Satoshi in his arms gently, feeding him. “I’m - I’m sorry!” he cried out, making Satoshi spit out the mouth of the bottle and cry with vigor again, sensing Kuai’s anxiety. 

The two women watched in astonishment as Kuai reacted quickly, tilting the bottle upright again to avoid spilling more milk on the baby’s face. He wiped away the spilled milk on the baby’s face with his own soft shirt sleeve. After cleaning up the baby, Kuai then rocked the baby gently in his arms, humming softly as he pressed the infant’s head against his chest.

Satoshi stilled immediately, cooing quietly as he was lulled back to sleep. Kuai smiled gently, looking down fondly at the baby as Harumi blinked, walking forward slowly. It was the first time she had seen the young boy smile. “How… How did you know what to do?”

“He was crying earlier,” Kuai whispered, continuing to rock the baby. “I thought he may have a dirty diaper, so I changed it.” He nodded toward the trash bin where Harumi could see the wrapped diaper at the top, rolled shut to prevent the odor from stinking the house. “Then, when he continued to cry, I found the bottles of milk in the fridge. I took one and warmed it up over the stovetop, and fed him with it. I’m so sorry,” he whispered again. “I should have asked for your permission, first.”

“Everything is fine, Kuai,” Harumi assured him, shaking her head in wonder. “I just… I’ve been having trouble quieting him these past few days. How did you know how to do that?”

“In the Lin Kuei,” Kuai replied, an anxious look settling on his face again. “I often got into trouble, and as a punishment, I was sent to care for the kidnapped infants that were brought to the temple. It never felt like a punishment, though. They’re very cute and quiet, and they don’t shout at you for doing something wrong.”

“Well, thank you,” Harumi said, reaching out for Satoshi as Kuai gently handed the boy over. Satoshi fussed, shifting slightly, but eventually settled down, slumbering peacefully. 

“Let me put him in his crib,” Harumi whispered, leaving Aiya alone with Kuai.

He shifted uncomfortably under the older woman’s judging look, rubbing his arm. “Um, hi. My name is Kuai Liang.”

“I’m Aiya,” she replied, moving to sit at the dining table next to the kitchen. She waved a hand at the seat in front of her in a silent invitation. Kuai took it as an order, moving quickly to sit down as he bowed his head anxiously.

“I must admit,” she said slowly, “you’re not what I was expecting. You’re not like the other Lin Kuei, not even like some of the children I’ve seen. They’re very… brain-washed… if you understand what I mean. Have you been raised in the Lin Kuei?”

“I came to the temple when I was three,” Kuai replied, clasping his hands tightly together. “I'm twelve-years-old, now. I’ve been living in the Lin Kuei for as long as I can remember.”

Aiya nodded, a thoughtful expression crossing her face. “Then how is it that you've retained emotions? Principles such as love and reverence?”

“I had a friend,” Kuai said, choking up on his words. “He came to the Lin Kuei when he was five, my age at the time. We were close, and he taught me what life was like - what life _should_ have been like - outside the clan walls. I was going to run away with him, but it was too late; he was cyberized before we could escape together.”

Tears were streaming down his face as he sniffled, wiping the tears from his face as new ones replaced them.

 _If he_ **_is_ ** _faking this,_ Aiya thought to herself, _I’ll be damned and cut off my own foot to eat it._

“I want to let you know that one of our warriors has gone to the Lin Kuei to confirm your story,” Aiya informed the cryomancer, who looked up with wide eyes. “If he obtains proof that you are telling the truth, you will be permitted to stay.”

“They can’t!” Kuai blurted despite himself. “What if they get captured? The Lin Kuei will torture him to give up your location! My older brother -”

He stopped, slapping his mouth with his hand as he realized his mistake.

It was too late. Aiya’s eyes widened. “You have an older brother? Still at the Lin Kuei? He didn’t come with you?”

“My older brother… he’s Sub-Zero,” Kuai admitted in a choked voice.

Aiya gaped in shock. Everyone in the Shirai Ryu knew about Sub-Zero, the infamous cryomancer warrior. Hanzo and Sub-Zero had met on several missions in the past - every encounter resulted in some kind of grievous injury to both parties. Sub-Zero was a name that struck fear into the hearts of the Shirai Ryu children, as parents cautioned them to run away from people dressed in blue.

Kuai continued to talk as Aiya was recovering from this revelation. “He was kind, once. He used to protect me from the senior officers whenever I failed to meet their expectations, but he started to become distant. He left me for Sektor and the Grandmaster - he gave me this scar,” he said, pointing to his own face, "because the Grandmaster ordered him to."

Aiya covered her mouth, finding herself in a rare moment - a total loss of words.

Kuai bowed his head, looking ashamed for his older brother’s actions. Aiya felt a cold fury rise up in her, thinking about the clan that had stifled the young boy’s carefree nature. 

At that moment, Harumi came back, catching Aiya’s look, as the older woman indicated with her head to join her outside. 

“Kuai, now that Satoshi is sleeping again, why don’t you go back to the bedroom and catch up on some sleep?” she suggested, receiving Kuai’s somber nod of assent as he pulled himself to the bedroom, shutting the door behind him.

Aiya practically dragged Harumi out of the house, speaking in a hushed tone outside on the front steps of the house so that the other clanspeople couldn’t hear them. She relayed everything that she had learned from the young boy, focusing on the relationship between the two brothers.

Harumi’s eyes widened when she was told about Kuai's connection with Sub-Zero. “Hanzo will try to kill him,” she said in a hushed whisper. “They hate each other with a burning passion.”

“I know,” Aiya replied, “which is why I’m telling _you._ This can _never_ happen, understand? You need to protect Kuai Liang as if he were your own son. As if he were Satoshi. Can you do that, Harumi? Even if it means fraying your relationship with your husband?”

The young woman nodded firmly, a hard determined look in her eyes. “Yes; I swear on the Elder Gods that I will do everything in my power to protect Kuai Liang.”

Aiya’s shoulders slumped in relief, nodding several times in satisfaction. “We will wait for Hanzo to return. We must tell him the truth. Nothing good comes from lies. We will see how he reacts, and act from there.”

Harumi hoped that it wouldn’t have to come to it, but she intended to make good on her vow.

* * *

Hanzo descended from the horse, tying the animal securely to a barren tree as he walked through the snow, the white coat he was wearing providing camouflage. He crouched low in the snow, moving to lie on his stomach as he peered from the treeline to the Lin Kuei temple.

He waited patiently, still fuming over the events of the morning. He had been rejected by his wife and father - all for a young boy with innocent brown doe eyes and a sad face?! The facts were there: he was a Lin Kuei found in Shirai Ryu territory. History and tradition dictate that the boy should have been killed where he stood. He was about to slay him when they found him in the tree that morning, but the sight of the child slumbering in the hollow made him pause - his conscience wouldn’t let him do it, even with his opinions on the matter.

He grumbled, irritated as a figure started to appear in his field of vision. Eyes narrowing hatefully, Hanzo saw that it was Sub-Zero, the head warrior of the Lin Kuei. The past encounter made Hanzo's shoulder twinge in phantom pain, remembering how a knife of ice had cut deep into his skin. Still, it was reassuring for Hanzo to see him. _The boy was lying,_ he thought satisfyingly. Sub-Zero had not been "cyberized," as the boy had claimed. As Sub-Zero disappeared, Hanzo was about to stand up to leave.

However, he ducked back down with a curse as he finally spotted the people following Sub-Zero in a uniformed march that was too coordinated to be human. Hanzo’s eyes widened in shock as he took in the sight of a squadron of fifty silver robots marching in unison after Sub-Zero, who came to a stop as he turned to address them.

“Find the deserter,” he snapped, “and kill him. Do not stray beyond the border - if he is beyond the clan's boundaries, he is as good as dead.”

The robots dispersed, and Hanzo quickly stood up once the coast was clear, the blood coursing through his veins as his heartbeat jumped up to his throat. The boy had been telling the truth, after all. Now, Hanzo felt guilt for wronging the boy. He remembered the fear in the child's eyes and felt remorse for not picking up on it sooner. Hanzo knew that he had an unfortunate tendency to rush to conclusions. He had to return with the truth so that the child could be accepted into the clan for his courage in escaping from the Lin Kuei.

However, he had to get back _alive._

Hanzo rushed quietly to his horse, starting to untie the rope when he felt a presence behind him. He ducked, dodging the strike from a cyborg that had snuck up behind him. 

The Shirai Ryu whirled around, striking his foot into the cyborg’s chest. It stumbled, letting out no sound whatsoever before it got back up to charge at Hanzo. However, the Shirai Ryu was ready, and with a single swipe of his sword, he beheaded the cyborg, the body falling to the ground with a soft inaudible thump.

Hanzo retrieved the head, placing it in his satchel. _Proof, so that the others will believe._ He untied the horse and hoisted himself into the saddle, silently urging the animal back to the Shirai Ryu territory.

* * *

The night sky cast nearly everything into darkness as Hideo summoned the clanspeople outside for the announcement regarding Kuai Liang. Torches lit the streets and the front of the big house where Hideo and Aiya lived. The people congregated in front of the house, muttering and gossiping about what the assembly could be about.

“As some of you already know,” Hideo declared out to the crowd in a voice so that he would be heard by all, “there was a visitor to the Shirai Ryu who arrived this morning. Yes, the rumors are true. He _was_ a Lin Kuei.”

Shocked murmurs swept the crowd. Aiya stepped forward, addressing the people. “He is but nine years of age; a child. He has done nothing to hurt us and poses no threat, from what I have seen. Your head warrior and my son, Hanzo Hasashi, departed from the territory this morning to confirm the Lin Kuei’s story of this Cyberization Project he mentioned. We await his return.”

“Kill the brat!” an angry voice called out from the crowd. Murmurs of agreement slowly started to spread. “Kill him before he kills us all!”

“Listen to yourselves!” Harumi snapped above the clamor, temporarily silencing them. “You are talking about killing a young, innocent boy. He is the age of most of _your_ children. Would you condemn him to such a fate?”

“He is Lin Kuei!” a woman’s hysterical voice cried. “I would happily kill him to save my daughter!”

Shouts of agreement rang out through the clearing. Harumi hoped desperately that Kuai was fast asleep and couldn't hear what was going on outside. She yearned desperately for something or someone to intervene on behalf of the young, traumatized child. However, looking up at the grim faces of Hideo and Aiya, she began to lose hope.

Suddenly, her eyes widened at the sounds of distant good eats that were slowly growing in volume. Hanzo, riding on the horse, broke into the clearing, startling the crowd into silence.

Hanzo jumped down, reaching into his satchel as he lifted the metal head of the cyborg he slew in the outskirts of the Lin Kuei temple. Shocked murmurs swept through the crowd as he held it up for everyone to see.

“I apologize for my outburst this morning,” Hanzo spoke solemnly. “I rebelled against your judgment, father, and that of my beloved wife, Harumi. The boy’s story proved to be true. The majority of the clan has been converted into these machines; it appears as though only the senior warriors, including Sub-Zero, retain their humanity, for now. The Lin Kuei child fled from his clan in search of safety elsewhere. Because of my actions today, I insist that the child be raised here, in the Shirai Ryu, as one of our own. He will be safe, as I have also discovered that his clan does not know of his current whereabouts and are unwilling to leave the territory to search for him.”

Hideo nodded approvingly, turning toward the crowd. “It is decided, then!” He declared. “The boy will be raised as a Shirai Ryu warrior. If there are any objections, speak now.”

When his request was met with the silence of grudging acceptance, Hideo let the clanspeople disperse, returning to their homes as he walked toward Hanzo and Harumi with Aiya following him.

“Greetings, son,” Hideo said warmly, pulling Hanzo into a hug. “You came just in time.”

“I got back as fast as I could,” Hanzo replied gruffly, returning the hug with one hand. “Once I saw that the boy was speaking the truth, I knew I had to return to absolve him from my false accusations.”

“His name is Kuai Liang,” Aiya spoke quietly, approaching slowly. “He is the younger brother of Sub-Zero.”

Hanzo jerked back in surprise. “Sub-Zero? The most dangerous warrior of the Lin Kuei is his older brother?”

“He saw his best friend get turned into a cyborg,” Harumi defended, crossing her arms. “Kuai Liang is _not_ to blame for his brother’s actions. I want to raise him the way he should have been, but I need to know that your rivalry with his older brother won't affect your treatment of him.”

Hanzo hesitated.

“Remember that big, red, gash over his right eye?” Aiya pressed, seeing a weakness in Hanzo’s resolve. “Sub-Zero himself did that under the order of the Grandmaster.”

“He did that to his _own_ brother?” Hanzo shook his head with stunned disbelief. “I always knew that Bi-Han was a cold-blooded killer, but to do that to one’s kin…”

“Kuai told me that Sub-Zero became too caught up in the affairs of the Lin Kuei, and thus pushed Kuai aside for the glory and fame,” Aiya spat with disgust. “He’s hurt, scared, and undoubtedly traumatized by the whole ordeal. He deserves to be brought up in a household of love and care. Can you do that, Hanzo? Can you provide for him?”

Hanzo sighed as the others held their breath in anticipation. “I… I can not,” he admitted shamefully, making Harumi slump with disappointment. “When I look at him, all I can think about are those Lin Kuei dogs that have plagued our clan for decades. I do not feel comfortable having him around my son. Could you please care for him?” he asked his parents, Aiya and Hideo.

The couple shared a brief look before Aiya nodded. “I will see to it myself that he is raised with love,” she assured Harumi. “You can also visit him if you would like.”

Harumi nodded instantly, her face showing slight disappointment. However, she was glad that Hanzo had been truthful. Besides, with Satoshi, she would have her hands full. “Let me bring him,” she murmured gently.

Hideo raised a hand. “Let us walk together,” he suggested, leading the way to the house. “I, myself, will welcome Kuai Liang to his new home.”

The four of them walked in silence toward Hanzo’s and Harumi’s house. The night sky was inky black above their heads and the way was lit with torches for the people to see where they were walking. Eventually, Harumi opened the door to the house as she led them inside. She quietly brought them to the guest bedroom that she had temporarily offered the young cryomancer. Harumi knocked three times on the wooden door, waiting for a few seconds before she opened the door on its hinges.

Instead of seeing a body lying underneath the covers, Kuai was lying on the cold, hard wooden floorboards. He lied there in a supine position, lying on his back without a pillow to support his neck. The boy's hands were clasped over his stomach, much like the corpses in an open casket at their funeral. 

"Kuai?" Harumi asked hesitantly, rousing the boy from his slumber. He yawned behind his hand, rubbing his eyes with his hand as he propped himself up on his left hand. "Sorry," he spoke quietly, trying to not wake up Satoshi in the house. "I couldn't stay awake long enough."

"You don't have to apologize for that," Aiya said dismissively, looking at the boy in concern. "Why weren't you sleeping in the bed?"

Kuai turned around briefly to look at the bed. The bedsheets had been placed back into a neat, set form. Harumi knew that Kuai had slept in the bed when he first came to the Shirai Ryu - he must have set the bed himself before lying on the ground.

"It's too soft," Kuai spoke softly, his hands wringing together in a state of anxiety. "I had a nightmare that I was at the Lin Kuei and being buried in snow. I couldn't sleep in it, after that. Besides, I'm used to sleeping on the floor, so it's fine."

The adults all shared a worried look as Kuai turned to look at the bed one more time.

Hideo beckoned with his hand, and Kuai followed the adults outside, hunching his shoulders. Kuai took a moment to look up to the sky - he could see the stars glittering like diamonds as the cool wind ruffled through his hair.

“You've treated me with more kindness and respect than I deserve,” Kuai spoke once they were outside. He kept his head bowed, staring at the feet of the adults standing in front of him. “If you want, I can leave right now,” Kuai continued. “It’s probably better that way; the clanspeople won't see me leave, and they won't have to know that I was here.”

“Look up at me, Kuai Liang,” Hideo said firmly yet gently.

The cryomancer slowly did as was requested, looking up with scared, round eyes. “The clanspeople already know that you are here, because I told them,” Hideo spoke slowly so that Kuai had time to process his words. “Hanzo confirmed your story about the cyborgs; this, coupled with the bravery you displayed by running away from the Lin Kuei - with full knowledge that you could have been killed - makes you worthy to be accepted among the Shirai Ryu. If you want to, you can sleep and live with my wife, Aiya, and myself.”

Kuai looked between the faces of the adults, taking in Hideo’s words. “I… I don't know if it’s a good idea for me to stay,” he admitted quietly, lowering his head again. “Wherever I go, the people close to me fall to tragedy. I don't want to bring you bad luck.”

“Nonsense,” Aiya chided gently, placing her hands on his shoulders as she knelt to the ground to make eye-contact with the young cryomancer. “There is no such thing as good or bad luck. Even if the Lin Kuei were to come here right now and slay us in our sleep, it would _not_ be your fault. You, _solely,_ are not to blame for your clan’s actions. You rebelled against their beliefs. You fled to escape that life, intending to save your friend’s life.”

Kuai sniffled. “But I failed,” he whispered hoarsely. “Tomas is a cyborg, now.”

“But you tried, Kuai,” Hideo pressed, “and that’s all that matters. It would please me immensely to have you among my family here. Would you do me the honor of joining my family?”

There was a pause in the conversation.

“Family,” Kuai finally murmured with such longing in his voice that made Hanzo’s chest constrict in sympathy. “I had a family, once. I can't remember my mother's face, anymore.”

“I, myself, would treat you as my own son,” Aiya confirmed. “Maybe even better; right, Hanzo?” she asked, looking up with a twinkle in her eyes.

Kuai’s eyes widened suddenly, looking up at Aiya. “He’s your son?”

Hideo chuckled at the child’s surprise. “Yes, he is. Don't worry, you're not the only one to not see the resemblance.”

Kuai cringed, his pale cheeks flushing red with embarrassment. 

“We’re all distracted from the main point,” Harumi spoke up, pulling them all back to the matter at hand. “Kuai, in the hours of today, I have enjoyed your company immensely. You were a great help in the kitchen and with Satoshi. If you left, I would miss you.”

Kuai bit his lower lip, looking more his age. The saddened, hollow look in his eyes from before had made him seem years older than he was. “... Okay,” he finally relented, nodding slowly. “I’ll stay.”

Hanzo and Harumi watched as Hideo and Aiya departed, walking on either side of Kuai and holding onto his hands. He was looking up at their faces more frequently as he talked to them, with a lot more courage than Hanzo had seen from the child at the beginning of that day.

He promised himself - right then and there - that he would learn to accept Kuai’s presence so that perhaps one day, in the future, he would be able to fight side-by-side with him to defend the child’s new clan.


	2. A New Life

**_Destiny is calling me_ **

**_Open up my eager eyes_ **

**_'Cause I'm Mr. Brightside._ **

**\- The Killers, "Mr. Brightside"**

* * *

Kuai awoke the next morning on the ground with an overwhelming feeling of safety. Looking out the window required him to get onto his feet, but he saw that the sun was well up in the sky, shining brightly on a bright blue tapestry. 

Yawning, Kuai sat up in the bed, stretching his arms in the air. As he scanned the room, he belatedly noticed that the Lin Kuei uniform he had folded on the chair in the corner was gone. In its place was a set of plain grey clothing. Kuai didn’t mind the fact that the Lin Kuei uniform was gone - he was eager to abandon the bad memories. He moved quickly across the room, changing into his new clothing.

It reminded Kuai of the simple, casual clothing that he would wear in basic training lessons back at the Lin Kuei. The uniform was designed to be baggy for free, unrestricted movement. The shirt was cropped at the shoulders, removing the sleeves entirely. After Kuai had finished donning his new outfit, he opened the bedroom door, peeking out of it hesitantly.

This act of peeking was a daily routine in his life at the Lin Kuei. If you opened the door and a senior officer saw you, there was a high probability that they would harass you and bully you. When Kuai peeked out, he immediately saw Hideo standing outside - he had a hand raised in the air, about to knock on the door when Kuai had opened it.

Kuai let out a soft “eep!” of surprise at the sight of the older man.

“This is your house, now,” Hideo smiled comfortably down at Kuai’s wide, uncertain eyes. “You shouldn’t feel anxious at every corner and door. No harm will come to you, here.” He extended his hand in an invitation. “Come,” he spoke softly, his eyes crinkling with the smile, “Aiya has begun her preparation of breakfast.”

Kuai looked up at Hideo’s eyes warily, eventually yet hesitantly placing his palm in the other man’s hand. Hideo’s smile only grew bigger, easing Kuai’s apprehension as he led Kuai through the halls. They passed through a courtyard in the center of the house, home to a small garden with a stone path through the middle. Kuai’s eyes stayed on the beautiful sight until it was out of sight.

“Did you enjoy the garden?” Hideo asked curiously.

Kuai nodded slowly. “We don’t have a lot of wildlife or flora near the... Lin Kuei,” he said softly, uttering the name of his former clan in a whisper. “It’s pretty.”

Hideo chuckled, trying to put the child at ease. “That garden belonged to my great, great, great grandfather,” he said as they walked through the halls. “It has been kept in my family for generations. In the beginning, it was home to only one tree. It is a tradition for every member of the family to add a plant of their choosing to the garden. Soon, you will select one to be added.”

Kuai’s eyes widened. “Can I plant it?” he asked, excitement leaking into his voice. “Will I be responsible for tending the plants? Can I water them?”

Hideo laughed louder, the pleasant sound echoing through the house. “You are something else, Kuai Liang,” he said in a compliment. “You know, Hanzo didn’t like the garden, much. He wasn’t as enthusiastic about it as you are. Usually, the children don’t touch the garden after planting their first plant.”

At Kuai’s disappointed expression, Hideo pursed his lips. “But,” he said slowly, “if you want to, you can wake up at five in the morning to help me water the plants.”

The young cryomancer looked up with shining eyes. “Really? I can do that?”

Hideo nodded - the excitement radiating off of the child was contagious. “You’ll have to wake up early,” he warned. “Some also find the work to be tedious.”

Kuai grinned, the sight making Hideo’s chest warm. “It won’t be for me, sir. Thank you!”

“Please,” Hideo waved a hand. “Call me Hideo. We can slowly work our way up to ‘Father.’”

Before Kuai could say anything, the two of them finally entered the kitchen. Aiya was standing over the lit stovetop, a pot of boiling water inside. She was slowly and methodically cutting vegetables on a cutting board and scraping the contents into the pot.

Kuai immediately ran from Hideo’s side and began washing his hands. Drying his hands with a clean towel, he wordlessly took a carrot from the bag of vegetables, making Aiya’s head snap down to look at him. She frowned, “You don’t need to do anything, Kuai. I can do this by myself.”

“Helping will make the process faster and more efficient,” Kuai chirped, clearly in a happy mood as he searched the cabinets, able to reach the top ones. “Besides, I have a lot of experience in the kitchen. Another one of my many, less severe punishments would be to help the cooks in the kitchens with preparation and cooking.” He found the cabinet with the cutting boards, bringing it to the sink to rinse it with water.

Aiya shared a brief look with her husband, who was studying Kuai with saddened eyes. The young boy started to cut the carrot as Aiya had done, making sure to cut the carrot into equal sizes. When he was done, he walked to the pot on the stovetop carefully, scraping the carrots into the pot before grabbing another vegetable to repeat the process.

“So, Kuai,” Aiya spoke as Hideo sat into his chair at the dining table nearby. “Tell me, do you have the same abilities as your older brother?”

Kuai looked up at her, nodding slowly. “Yes; I can control ice,” he said, choosing to not demonstrate his powers. “The Lin Kuei taught me to use my powers. I know how to freeze other people and create weapons from ice.”

He dumped celery into the pot.

“So, you’re considered to be a full-fledged warrior, then?” Hideo asked curiously. “You were sent to complete missions?”

“Yes,” Kuai replied, nodding twice as his face darkened. “I have a ninety-nine percent rate of success; a lot better than most of the other Lin Kuei.”

“Ninety-nine?” Aiya asked, the corners of her mouth lifting with slight amusement despite the dark subject of their conversation. “What happened with that last one percent? Room for error?”

Kuai blushed, biting the inside of his cheek. “It was a mission in Shanghai,” he murmured, pursing his lips. “In the middle of the mission I… I got a bit _peckish_. I lost the target, and had to go back empty-handed.”

Aiya laughed lightly, imagining a young Kuai Liang following after a target before he stopped at a food vendor to buy food. “Well, I can’t fault you for that,” she said amusedly. “I find it difficult to concentrate whenever I get hungry.”

Meanwhile, Hideo seemed to be contemplating something as the food started to cook in the pot. Aiya shooed Kuai out of the kitchen, and he went to sit at the dining table, swinging his feet absentmindedly as he waited patiently for breakfast to be served.

“If you are as advanced as you say,” Hideo spoke suddenly, causing Kuai’s head to jerk up to look at him, “then it would not be a good idea to put you with the students your age. I shall have to place you under my son’s tutelage with the senior students.”

Kuai gulped nervously. “You mean the angry man?” he asked timidly, shoulders hunching slightly as he remembered the eyes of blazing anger.

“Bah,” Hideo scoffed. “Hanzo is just brash and loud - I think that you’ll fit well under his instruction. If you desire so, I will bring you to the dojo when breakfast is over. Do you want to start training today, or do you wish to rest?”

Aiya walked to the table, placing a steaming bowl of soup in front of Kuai with a spoon leaning against the inner wall of the bowl. “The older students will eat him alive,” she scolded Hideo. “You know how competitive they are, especially at the prospect of replacing the Third-in-Command.”

At Kuai’s questioning glance, Hideo sighed. “As the General of the Shirai Ryu, I have three main advisors and protectors. Hanzo is my First-in-Command and is in charge of the armies while I look over the proceeds of the village. The other two are there to support Hanzo and me. My Second-in-Command is your soon-to-be assistant teacher, Izumi.”

“My Third-in-Command,” Hideo continued, “died a week ago to disease. As the senior students, one of them will be chosen to take the place of the Third-in-Command. That is what they are training for. At the end of their training, there will be a grand tournament where each of them will fight to demonstrate their skill. They will fight against the current, senior warriors, who will also compete as well. The one who emerges victorious will become my new Third-in-Command.”

“There hasn’t been a tournament in decades,” Hideo added. “It’s very tense among the warriors.”

Kuai nodded slowly. “I see. While I won’t be competing for this position, I will continue to give my best at every lesson,” he said, starting to eat his soup.

“... Have him try,” Aiya rebutted as she sat at the table, causing them both to look at her in astonishment. “You’re so set on putting him in the class; what would be so bad about it? The tournament is meant to recognize the best in the class - if Kuai is the best and is not allowed to compete, it would be unfair.”

“He is a child, Aiya,” Hideo scolded. “His mind is not meant to be preoccupied with the affairs of the clan.”

“He already thinks like an adult,” Aiya said firmly, crossing her arms. “And he certainly behaves like one, as well. Besides, there is not much to the Third-in-Command position. It only entails leading the morning patrols.”

Hideo groaned, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “Aiya, I know that you dislike all of the candidates -”

“They’re all rude, entitled brats who have had everything given to them on a silver platter,” Aiya snapped. “I would prefer Kuai over any of them - he would lead with a kind hand.”

“But he’s a child!” Hideo exclaimed. “What would the rest of the clan think? A child who was once Lin Kuei, becoming the new third? It would make them riot!”

“The clan,” Aiya hissed, “knows the importance and value of the tournament. The rules are sacred - as long as Kuai is a senior student, he can compete. If he wins, then the clan will _have_ to accept him.”

Kuai’s head was snapping from left-to-right to look at the adult that was talking at each turn, like watching the ping-pong ball fly from one half of the table to the other.

Hideo sputtered, hesitating until he finally broke. “Fine! Have it your way, wife. Kuai, eat up your breakfast. You have a hard day ahead of you.”

Aiya preened victoriously as Kuai began to feel dread settle in his stomach.

* * *

The sounds of fighting in the square room echoed through the walls as Kuai was led into the dojo by Hideo, who held onto his hand. He felt Hideo squeeze his hand reassuringly as the heads of the people turned to look at Kuai.

Kuai could immediately tell that this was a bad idea; these people weren’t just a few years older than him. Instead, the youngest person in the room was about eighteen years old compared to Kuai’s twelve years of age. The majority of them were adults. They all looked at Kuai and Hideo as they entered, their frowns settling on Kuai.

Hanzo walked over to them with a frown on his face with another man walking behind the General’s son. This other man had his light brown hair tied in a long braid that reached his waistline and had a stern face. 

Kuai wanted the floor to open up from under his feet and swallow him whole.

“Father,” Hanzo said, bowing respectfully in greeting. “What is the meaning of this?” He stared down at Kuai - not with anger, but with judgment. 

Kuai honestly couldn’t tell which look he preferred.

“Kuai here will be joining the senior class,” Hideo spoke so that only Hanzo and the other teacher could hear. “I want you and Izumi to train him as rigorously as the others. Aiya… also wants him to compete in the tournament.”

The other teacher, Izumi, pursed his lips as he looked down at Kuai’s small figure. “We’ll see what we can do with him,” he spoke before Hanzo could say anything. Hanzo’s head snapped to fix Izumi with an incredulous look as Hideo nodded thankfully.

Hideo patted Kuai’s shoulder comfortingly as he turned to leave him with his new class. “Don’t hold back,” he cautioned Kuai. “None of them will.” With those words of advice, he left behind the sliding doors fitted with translucent paper and trees painted in ink.

Kuai faced the two teachers, fidgeting in his stance. Hanzo turned to Izumi. “Have you gone mad?” he hissed. “What the hell am I supposed to do with _this?”_

Ignoring Kuai’s flinch, Izumi gave Hanzo an unimpressed look. He barked an order for the students to stand aside, which they promptly did. Space opened up in the center of the room - the students standing around the room created a circle at the center of the dojo. 

Izumi beckoned with two fingers to Kuai as he walked to the center. Kuai hesitantly followed the man into the circle, his body tense with the anxiety of not understanding what was happening. Izumi came to a stop at one end of the circle as Kuai stood at the opposite end. 

“Students!” Izumi barked. “Before you stands Kuai Liang, formerly of the Lin Kuei clan. The General believes that he is ready to join your senior class. I will test this claim by fighting him in kombat. If you can survive for five minutes,” he said, looking directly at Kuai, “then you will be permitted to stay in the class. Failure to meet this requirement will force you to a lower class.”

Kuai heard snickers from the students behind him. “I bet you fifty yen he gets laid out flat in the beginning,” one of them whispered, taking in Kuai’s timid appearance.

“Double that,” another hissed, “on the premise that he cries like a baby.”

Izumi retrieved a plain wooden staff and got into a fighting stance as Kuai settled into his familiar stance, determination hardening in his chest. He remembered Hanzo’s look of disbelief and the mocking sounds of the students, fueling his determination to survive for the specified time. 

_“You’re pathetic,”_ Bi-Han’s voice whispered in his head. Kuai could feel the phantom pain of the scar. _“I should have killed you the day you were born.”_

Kuai narrowed his eyes, digging his heel into the ground.

Hanzo started a timer and watched with a hard eye as Izumi charged at Kuai. The boy cartwheeled sideways to avoid the downward strike of the staff with surprising agility, landing back on his feet like a cat. He showed technique and grace that was better than most of the Lin Kuei warriors.

Izumi whirled around as the other students held their breaths in shock. Kuai crouched low to the ground as he waited for Izumi to strike again, which he did. He struck his staff in a sideways sweep, intending to catch Kuai in the neck. However, the child jumped up from his crouched position. His body was horizontal in the air - flat as a board - as he jumped over the staff, kicking Izumi in the chest as he fell to the ground on his feet.

Hanzo’s eyes widened slightly at the impressive display. However, he knew that while the boy’s small size did give him an advantage, it made him unable to bring down bigger opponents like Izumi. He waited to see what would happen as the time reached its halfway point.

Kuai, who had not yet uttered a sound, raised his fists defensively. Izumi studied him for a moment before charging again, holding the staff flat in both hands as he intended to push Kuai out of the circle with his weight.

The cryomancer braced himself, raising his foot at the last second to give a kick at the middle point of the staff between Izumi’s hands. As his kick made contact with the staff, it splintered into two under the force. Izumi dropped the staff in shock, unable to stop Kuai from closing the short distance between them. In the blink of an eye, he hooked his right leg around Izumi’s left one, which he used to propel himself up the man’s back.

Kuai had crawled up Izumi’s back until he hooked a leg around Izumi’s neck, choking him. With a sudden, feral yell, Kuai used all of his weight to drop to the floor, bringing Izumi down with him from the momentum. The teacher felt the breath escape his body from the impact, winding him. 

As Izumi was recovering, Kuai wasted no time at all. He performed a flawless kip-up maneuver to put himself back onto his feet. Hanzo blinked once, and suddenly, Kuai was holding a dagger to Izumi’s throat. 

The Shirai Ryu First-in-Command realized that it was made of ice.

“Yield,” Kuai said firmly, not seeming to be exhausted at all.

Izumi panted, trying to find a way out of his situation as the time continued to tick.

The stopwatch beeped, marking the end of the five minutes.

Kuai immediately stood up, breaking the ice dagger in one fist as he extended a hand toward the teacher lying on his back. Stunned, Izumi took the offered hand as Kuai easily hauled him onto his feet. 

Izumi looked at Kuai with a new perspective, nodding appreciatively. “You have a lot more strength than you appear to have,” he said slowly.

“If I make myself seem smaller,” Kuai replied, “people tend to not notice me. It was a survival technique I developed in the Lin Kuei.”

Izumi nodded in approval. “You’ll do,” he finally spoke, before looking toward the other students. “You all have much work to do,” he snapped as he walked to the front of the dojo where Hanzo stood impassively. “A twelve-year-old boy brought me to the ground; something that none of you have been able to do.”

“Kuai Liang, today, you will sit and observe. Learn the forms that you see today and commit them to memory,” Izumi said in a slightly softer tone. “Tomorrow, you will join in the drills.”

* * *

Kuai ran from the dojo after the end of class was called, running straight toward the forest path that went into the woods surrounding the Shirai Ryu village. 

Hanzo watched as Kuai disappeared into the treeline, frowning slightly. He still had his reservations about having a Lin Kuei amongst the ranks of his fellow Shirai Ryu. Izumi and Hanzo were greeted by the other senior officers who had graduated from their classes years ago.

“I heard that Hideo had adopted the Lin Kuei child,” one of the soldiers, named Daiki, spoke. 

Izumi nodded, casting a firm look at Daiki. “The General can do as he pleases,” he snapped defensively. “If he has chosen to accept Kuai Liang into his family, then that is it.”

Daiki raised his hands defensively. “Calm down, Izumi. I meant it as a good thing. No doubt the kid is scared-shitless right now.”

Another soldier under Hanzo’s command, Kenzo, spoke up. “So, how was he?” he asked curiously. “Did he pass the entrance exam?”

“He didn’t just pass,” Hanzo admitted with grudging respect. “He flipped Izumi onto his back and held a knife made of ice to his throat. He beat him.”

Shocked murmurs swept the soldiers.

“Damn,” another soldier named Jiro whistled appreciatively. “Are you sure you weren’t going easy on him, Izumi?”

“I only accepted Hideo’s offer so that I could have that fight in the first place,” Izumi spoke defensively as he crossed his arms. “I wanted to beat him and show Hideo that he didn’t belong there. I gave it a little more than I usually do,” he confessed. 

“So,” Jiro’s twin brother - Jun - pressed. “The kid’s got ice powers like his older brother?”

“Yes,” both Izumi and Hanzo confirmed. “The kid doesn’t fight like him, though,” Izumi said, eyes drifting off to the distance as he thought back to the fight. “He’s a lot more defensive. He only comes out of his shell when a golden opportunity strikes. It’s effective and safe, sure, but I want to see him get a little more aggressive. He also seems to have reluctance in using his powers. I appreciated the fact that he didn’t use them in our fight, but he could have easily overpowered me if he had.”

The soldiers all whispered among themselves.

“Do you think he could win the tournament?” Daiki asked slowly.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Jiro and Jun snapped in perfect unison. “This year’s batch of kids are weak,” Jiro stated firmly. 

“Besides,” Jun continued, “even if the kid is better than his class, that’s not saying much. We have years of experience on top of him. There’s no way a teenager beats me this year.”

“Twelve,” Hanzo corrected, remembering Kuai’s age. “He’s twelve years old.”

“Well,” Kenzo said, tilting his head to the side as his neck cracked, “if this kid was able to knock Izumi on his back in less than five minutes, maybe I should start taking this more seriously. If you guys were smarter, maybe you would, too.”

Hanzo didn’t dignify that with a response, although he wholeheartedly agreed with the man. However, his attention was focused on something in the distance near the treeline of the forest where Kuai had disappeared. There were three of the students in the senior class, whispering among themselves as they followed after Kuai’s footsteps.

The First-in-Command easily recognized the students from the far distance; Shiro, who was the ringleader of the troublesome trio, and his two brainless lackeys, Taro and Yuta. Shiro was the oldest in the group, 20-years-old, while Taro and Yuta were 19 and 18, respectively.

Sighing, Hanzo excused himself from the group and followed after the three students, sure that they were up to no good. He stayed behind the cover of trees and masked his footsteps. The idiots didn’t even pay attention to see if they were being followed, as they started to get more boisterous and loud.

With concern, Hanzo realized that they were shouting obscenities and insults related to the Lin Kuei.

He started to close the distance between himself and the three young men until they stopped at the edge of a clearing in the woods. Hanzo could see a cottage behind the trees that housed the eighty-seven-year-old elderly medicine woman, Elaine. 

In the clearing, Kuai Liang was standing perfectly still, staring at his cupped hands. Hanzo rotated around to get a better look, still concealing himself in the trees. He realized that Kuai was holding a yellow songbird - a canary - in his palms. The bird was hopping around in his hands as he stared down at it in childish wonder and awe.

Hanzo’s attention was taken away when he heard the hushed whispers of the three troublemakers a short distance away from him. “There’s the fucking Lin Kuei scum,” Shiro hissed under his breath. “Let’s gut him for the good of the clan.”

Yuta held Shiro back as Taro hissed worryingly under his breath. “Elaine’s hut is right there,” he whispered, pointing up to indicate the hut overlooking the clearing. “What if she sees us and reports it?”

“That old bat went crazy years ago, Taro,” Shiro snapped irritably. “Her vision’s fucked up, too. The only thing that she’ll see is blurry shapes beating the shit out of another blurry shape.”

With that, Shiro stood up from his crouched position, striding confidently to Kuai as his two friends trailed hesitantly behind him. 

Kuai was startled when the canary took flight, sensing danger approaching. He had a sad, dejected look on his face before he was suddenly pushed to the ground roughly.

He fell with the momentum, rolling onto his lower legs as he fell into a combat roll, crouching in a low position as he looked up at the three men looming over him.

“Hi,” Kuai said slowly, his smart-aleck nature taking over. “I don’t suppose you’re here to have a chat, are you?”

“Of course not,” Shiro snarled, a grin appearing on his face like a shark’s, “We’re here to make you disappear.”

“Oh!” Kuai said, standing onto his feet. “What, like magic? I’ve heard tales of sorcerers, but I’ve never _actually_ met one before.”

There was a pause.

“I meant that we’re going to kill you!” Shiro sputtered.

“Oh,” Kuai’s excited face fell as a grumpy frown overtook his features. “Well, that’s just not the same, is it? You should be more specific, next time.”

“I guess the Lin Kuei don’t teach their students cultural norms, do they?” Taro snickered.

A mean smirk crossed Kuai’s face as he folded his arms comfortably, seemingly ignorant of the danger staring him down. “Of course I knew what you meant, you fucking idiots,” the cryomancer said dismissively, rolling his eyes. “Haven’t you heard of ‘sarcasm,’ before? What, do the Shirai Ryu not teach their students cultural norms?”

“Are all Lin Kuei as intolerable and insufferable as you are?” Yuta snapped. 

“Well, it depends,” Kuai spoke in a light, conversing tone as he studied his hands. “If it’s a sunny and hot day, then I tend to be a little quicker to anger. If it’s cooler, then I’m more relaxed and less likely to react. Then, there are also other circumstances and factors. Is someone pissing me off? Are people trying to kill me right now?”

The boy was boasting a greater amount of confidence, Hanzo noted, but he could see that it was a tactic. Kuai was intentionally annoying the aggressors to get them to think irrationally should a fight break out, but he was also talking long enough to stall for help.

 _Clever,_ Hanzo thought. _He clearly values using his brain over brawn, unlike Bi-Han._

“I’m going to enjoy killing you,” Shiro snarled, brandishing a knife. “And when this is all over, I’m going to win the tournament.”

Kuai snickered, hiding his smile behind his hand as he started to cackle madly.

Shiro’s face flushed red.

“You…” Kuai was unable to finish his statement as another bout of laughter hit him. “Oh, jeez. By the Elder Gods, you _really_ think that you can win? Keep dreaming. All those senior officers are ten-times the warrior you and I are. None of us are winning; don’t you get it? The only reason we’re allowed to compete is that we’re the guinea pigs. We’re only there to fill up the bracket. One of the senior warriors is meant to become the Third-in-Command, you fucking stupid piece of shit.”

Shiro’s face was purple in rage and embarrassment as he charged at Kuai. Scoffing at the attempt, Kuai dodged the strike easily as he whirled away from Taro’s and Yuta’s following swipes. 

From there, the fight - if you could even call it that - became a game of keep-away for Kuai. He continued to lackadaisically dodge and weave between kicks, punches, and knife swings. 

Hanzo resisted the urge to snort at the scene, even if it was his own students that were being made fools of. The kid was charismatic and had a surprising sense of humor that hadn’t been squashed by the Lin Kuei. 

The Shirai Ryu First-in-Command also noted that Kuai was only dodging and avoiding making any strikes of his own. The young child recognized that these people were still his clanspeople, and refused to raise a hand against them.

Deciding to intervene before Kuai got hurt (not that Hanzo thought that would happen), Hanzo stepped out into the clearing, clearing his throat pointedly.

Immediately, all of the boys stilled, separating themselves from the conflict. Shiro, Taro, and Yuta looked up slowly at Hanzo with wide, scared eyes. They looked like they were going to shit their pants any second now.

On the contrary, Kuai had also frozen still but was looking up with a wild grin on his face - his teeth showing. His face was slightly flushed and his hair was ruffled from the flips he was doing, but he was clearly enjoying the high from the adrenaline coursing through his body. 

“What is going on, here?” Hanzo asked with his eyebrow quirked, glaring at them all. He wanted to see how the boys would react if they believed he hadn’t been there from the beginning.

As he suspected, Shiro pointed immediately to Kuai. “He started it!” the ringleader shouted. “He was crazy, Master Hasashi. He attacked us with two knives made of ice and started to slash at us. We only barely managed to hold him off - we were starting to push him back when you got here!”

“Is that right?” Hanzo asked, turning to Kuai.

The rushed, euphoric look was gone from Kuai’s face. Gone was the courage, snark, and confidence. He was staring down at the forest floor timidly, not meeting Hanzo’s eyes. 

“He’s right,” Kuai mumbled. “I attacked him.”

Hanzo frowned. _Why was he defending these idiots? They tried to kill him - not even I would have kept my mouth shut about this, even if they were part of the clan._

“Are you sure?” Hanzo pressed.

Before Kuai could open his mouth to say anything, a croaking voice called out from behind the cryomancer.

“Don’t listen to the fool,” Elaine, the old medicine woman said as she hobbled down to the clearing to join them. “I saw everything; those miscreants are the ones who started this,” she said, pointing a shaking finger toward Shiro and his friends.

“I know,” Hanzo reassured the elderly woman, making Kuai’s head jerk up in shock. “I saw you three enter the woods,” Hanzo snarled with a sudden ferocity, rounding on the trio as they cowered in fear. “I followed after you and saw _everything.”_

“But he’s Lin Kuei!” Shiro protested whiningly. “He should be killed!”

“He ran away from his clan,” Hanzo retorted. “risking death to do so. He has given up his clan’s colors and symbols and willingly traded them for ours. He is Lin Kuei no longer - he is _Shirai Ryu._ You will treat him with the same respect you give your brothers-in-arms. Do I make myself clear?”

At the boys’ rapid nods, Hanzo pointed to the path leading back to the village. “Go,” he growled menacingly.

Kuai watched in wonder as the cowards took off, tilting his head in confusion towards Elaine. “Thank you,” he said, bowing respectfully toward her. “You didn’t have to do that; I would have willingly taken the punishment.”

“Then you’re an idiot,” she snapped. “Why risk your hide for those brats?”

Kuai stilled. “I had a friend,” he said softly. “We got into trouble a lot in the Lin Kuei - whenever we were caught doing something we weren’t supposed to do, I would say that I was the only one responsible. He was like my brother.”

Elaine fixed Kuai with a hard look. “What is your name, young one?”

“Kuai Liang,” the cryomancer replied before asking a question of his own immediately afterward. “Do you know anything about fauna and wildlife?” The question took Hanzo by surprise.

“It’s my job,” Elaine replied suspiciously, trying to see if Kuai was trying to make fun of her. “Why do you want to know?”

Kuai took a deep breath before speaking. “What kind of species are the trees in this forest? What species are the yellow birds? What kind of trees are in the village with pink flowers? Do you get wolves around here? What animals burrow into trees? What makes the leaves on the trees change color?”

Elaine’s eyes widened as Kuai continued to ramble. She looked up at Hanzo, sharing a look of confusion with him.

“What kind of warrior is more concerned about fauna and vegetation than his fighting?” she cut Kuai off, frowning down at him.

 **…**

“... A pacifist?” Kuai asked meekly, wringing his hands slightly.

There was a silence in the air as Hanzo stared at Kuai with an incredulous look. 

Elaine tilted her head back as she cackled, laughing heartedly at Kuai’s response. The boy pouted, crossing his arms. “It’s not that funny,” he muttered.

“Oh, yes, it is,” she spoke through tears. It was the most emotion that Hanzo had seen from her in a while. “I look forward to watching you in the tournament.” She turned around and walked back up to her cottage slowly, hobbling along the stone path.

“Should we help her?” Kuai whispered to Hanzo as she walked slowly up the path.

“No,” Hanzo said immediately, shaking his head. He knew how touchy the elderly woman was about her age and requiring help. “We need to talk. Walk with me.” 

He walked down the forest path, going deeper and deeper into the forest as Kuai walked beside him, staring up at his surroundings as he looked at the trees with their fall-colored leaves in wonder.

“Why did you not tell me the truth?” Hanzo spoke, looking down at Kuai.

“I wanted to,” Kuai confessed. “I really did, but it was their word against mine - I thought that you would have called me a liar if I told you otherwise.”

Hanzo paused in his stride slightly, frowning deeply. “I would have done no such thing,” he protested.

Kuai stopped in place, lifting his fist as he started to raise fingers with each reason he gave. “One, I'm ex-Lin Kuei. Two, I'm the new grunt of the Shirai Ryu, so you don't know me well. Three, I embarrassed you yesterday when you proved that I was telling the truth. Four, a Lin Kuei is living in your parents’ house. The point is, you have a lot of reasons to hate me. Because of that, and the way you were behaving in class today, I thought that it would be better for me to just go along with what they were saying.”

Hanzo stared at him. “You’re a lot more perceptive than your age would suggest.”

Kuai shrugged in response as he continued to match Hanzo’s longer strides. “I’ve just seen a lot in my life, so I’m not like most kids. Sometimes, people aren't who you think they are.”

“You’re just a book of wisdom, aren't you?” Hanzo huffed. “I have something to tell you. With the way that you took down Izumi today, I think that you have a very good chance of becoming Third-in-Command.”

Kuai frowned. “That’s not good. I don't want to be responsible for the lives of so many people.”

“120 lives is not that big a number,” Hanzo pointed out. “But you have to make a choice; do you win the tournament, or do you let an asshole like Shiro rise to the top?”

With a snort, Kuai shook his head. “That kid? He won't make the top ten contenders. Besides, I'm sure that any one of the senior warriors are better-qualified than I am. They're not _all_ assholes, right?”

Hanzo hesitated, thinking back to his past encounters with his clanmates. “Well…”

“They can't _all_ be assholes,” Kuai pressed, looking up at Hanzo incredulously. “At least _one_ of them is good, right? Tell me who it is and I can let him win!”

“They’re all in it for the wrong reasons,” Hanzo summarized briefly. “Daiki is only doing it because his wife is pressing him, the twins - Jiro and Jun - are doing it for the power, and Kenzo is trying to get the position to impress his wife. These are the soldiers that I'm closest with, and I know for a _fact_ how the others can get.”

Kuai huffed. “So, what? You'd rather have a twelve-year-old kid in that position of power?”

“A twelve-year-old kid,” Hanzo said, bringing up his _own_ fist as he counted off the reasons with each raised finger, “who is wise beyond his years, fights better than the Second-in-Command, and has a sense of compassion that the Shirai Ryu needs.”

Now, Hanzo turned around to walk back to the village, Kuai following in his footsteps. “I… I don't know,” the cryomancer hesitated. “It just seems like a bad idea. Besides, how will the clan see it; a Lin Kuei in a position of power?”

“They'll honor the rules of the tournament,” Hanzo spoke confidently. “Especially during times like these, with so many enemies. They want the strongest fighter to rise to power; whoever wins, they’ll support.”

As the village was starting to near as the two approached the treeline, Hanzo spoke his last words of advice to the student. 

“There’s no need to rush,” he cautioned. “I understand that this is a big thing for you to address. Think it through carefully and consider every aspect of your options. There are still ten more months until the tournament. You have until then to make your decision. For now, focus on your training and keep your skills sharp. It won't be easy, defeating so many people.”

Kuai took a deep breath before he nodded his head determinedly. “I’ll keep it in mind,” he promised, as they walked side-by-side into the village. A thought struck Kuai’s inquisitive, bright mind as he looked up to Hanzo, his head swiveling with such speed that gave the Shirai Ryu master pause.

“If Hideo and Aiya are my adoptive parents,” Kuai said slowly, eyes blinking widely, “does that make you my brother? Am I Satoshi’s uncle?!”

Hanzo - for the first time in years - stumbled in his steps _._


	3. Third-in-Command

**_I wanna taste love and pain,_ **

**_Wanna feel pride and shame._ **

**_I don't wanna take my time,_ **

**_Don't wanna waste one line._ **

**_I wanna live better days,_ **

**_Never look back and say:_ **

**_Could have been me._ **

**_It could have been me._ **

**\- The Struts, “Could Have Been Me”**

* * *

_Ten Months Later…_

Kuai rushed carefully down the stone path from Elaine’s hut, cradling a ceramic pot in his hands as he walked quickly back to the village. 

The cryomancer’s daily schedule was the same every day - he’d wake up at 4:30 in the morning to get dressed and clean up his appearance before he would join Hideo in the garden, learning how to properly care for the plants. Then, he would attend his daily classes with the senior students, leaving in the afternoon with minimal bruises that ached with an oddly satisfying feeling. Kuai thought that this emotion was caused by the pride of making it through another lesson whilst evading his bullies: Shiro, Taro, and Yuta. The three were still making it a point in their lives to harass Kuai, but he had managed to gain the admiration of a lot of the other students in his class, who would often go out of their way to defend their new, younger brother from the bullies. 

It gave Kuai a fuzzy feeling to see that he was slowly being accepted into his new clan.

He’d run from the dojo down the middle of the village, waving hello to the families as he ran past their houses. Slowly, over the months, they had come to wave back with smiles of their own as Kuai’s presence became more familiar. He’d run to Elaine’s cottage in the woods by following the forest path, where he’d spend the afternoon with her. She would teach him the uses of different herbs and their healing properties, and Kuai would listen attentively. He’d help her gather certain plants that she needed from the forest, running around the woods to collect the herbs that she required. 

When the sun started to set, Kuai would say goodbye to the medicine woman and head back to the village, stopping by Harumi’s house to see Satoshi. A lot of the time, Kuai would help to calm the child down from a crying fit, prompting Harumi to give Kuai a grateful smile while Hanzo watched from afar with a careful eye. Then, Kuai would return home to Hideo and Aiya to eat dinner with the family and wash before retiring to bed. 

This was the process he repeated with every passing day, and he didn’t want to change a thing about it.

However, today was different. Kuai left Elaine’s cottage earlier than usual to return to the village with his precious cargo. He stared down in awe at the small green sapling that was starting to grow in the soil, making sure to watch his steps. As he ran into the clearing, the villagers exchanged confused looks. They, too, were aware of Kuai’s schedule and knew that this was abnormal of the boy’s routine.

“Where are you running off to in such a hurry, Kuai?” one of the mothers called out from the porch of her house as she watched her son play with the neighbors’ children.

“I’ve got to plant a tree in Hideo’s garden!” Kuai called out excitedly as he paused in his sprint, holding up the sapling in a demonstration. “Elaine got it for me! A friend from Hawaii sent it to her - it’s a plumeria tree, see?”

“Oh, really?” a man asked amusedly. Kuai’s enthusiasm was contagious. “Well, you better head on your way, then. The tournament is tomorrow; you’ll need a good night’s rest for the fights. My money’s on you, kid.”

Kuai beamed. “Thank you, sir!” he said gratefully as he shifted the pot to one arm, using the freed hand to wave. “See you tomorrow!”

With the chorus of replies that were uttered back, Kuai held the plant in both hands again, resuming his sprint back to his house. He jumped up the stairs to the front door, pushing it open with his back to enter. He sprinted toward the garden at the center of the house, looking around the area to try and spot where he could plant his tree.

Finally, his eyes landed on the perfect spot; a large empty lot that rested between two rose bushes. It would have enough space for the tree roots to take hold and grow - there would be no competition between the neighboring plants. Getting onto his knees, Kuai started to excavate the soil with his hands at the spot to make room for his tree. 

Just as he had cleared enough of the soil to deposit his sapling, Kuai heard voices from one of the hallways that led into the garden. He crouched low to hide behind the greenery as the voices got louder.

“How are the students?” Hideo’s voice questioned. “Are they ready for the tournament tomorrow?”

“Yes,” Izumi’s voice confirmed. “The students are ready. Your son, Kuai Liang, has made excellent progress. Even if he does not win the tournament, I believe that he should be established as a senior warrior to defend the clan. He has more skill than some of my best students of the past who are warriors now. One benefit of being raised as a _child soldier_ in the Lin Kuei, I suppose,” he spat.

“None of the Lin Kuei have the agility and resourcefulness that Kuai does,” Hanzo’s familiar voice sounded out in the clearing as Kuai continued to listen in. “He thinks in a truly abstract way that helps him in battle. He also has a certain finesse that you only see with senior warriors - certainly not anyone from the Lin Kuei. Not even his brother,” he growled at the mention of Sub-Zero.

“I predict that Kuai Liang has the best chance of winning the tournament,” Izumi spoke after Hanzo. “As I’ve said; he’s one of the most skilled warriors the Shirai Ryu has, only paling in comparison to Hanzo, perhaps. He could wipe the floor with any one of those idiots that make up our current defenses. Have you spoken to him about this? Is he aware of the choice he has to make?”

“I recognized this possibility a long time ago,” Hanzo said as they walked up right next to Kuai, who was still hidden under a rose bush. “I gave him the choice. The decision is his to make. We will find out his decision tomorrow in the tournament.”

“I fear for the future of the Shirai Ryu,” Hideo murmured. “if one of the soldiers ascends to this position of power. My wife, Aiya, has voiced her opinions on the matter multiple times, but after close evaluation, I can’t help but agree. Perhaps Kuai Liang is the best candidate for the Third-in-Command position. Do you remember the time he behaved when the raiders held our village under siege?” 

Kuai remembered what Hideo was referencing. A group of raiders had attacked the Shirai Ryu in the middle of the night and had cut off their soldiers from each other, making it near-impossible to retaliate with a full army of their own. In the war room with the senior officers - including Daiki, Kenzo, and the twins - Kuai had snuck in and listened to the bleak situation. He walked up to the map, much to the astonishment and outrage of the soldiers, speaking his thoughts.

He had pointed out where the raiders had set up camp on the outskirts of the village. Kuai pulled on his knowledge of these raiders, which he had encountered in the past. He explained that if the leader was slain, the others would panic and fall apart, leaving them vulnerable to attack. He suggested that he could sneak into the camp and easily locate the leader of the raiders through the largest tent, getting rid of him. Then, he would give a signal to let the Shirai Ryu soldiers know that the leader was dead. As they attacked, the raiders would await the command of their leader, not knowing that he was already dead.

Although Hideo had protested sending Kuai alone to the camp, the majority overwhelmed his protest. The plan had gone better than Kuai was expecting, and they successfully drove the raiders out of Shirai Ryu territory, only suffering minimal injuries. 

“The village is quite taken with the boy as well,” Izumi pointed out. “I know of many people who are placing their bets on the kid. If Kuai were to win, the village would accept him with open arms.”

“You also get along well with him, too,” Hanzo admitted. “The transition would be seamless. I will admit, I had my reservations about a child leading the Shirai Ryu, but he thinks like an adult and has already earned the respect of the majority of the people in his class.”

Hideo sighed. “It’s his decision,” he said, starting to walk away from the garden as Hanzo and Izumi followed. “Nevertheless, it would be nice to have another one of my sons leading the clan with me…”

Kuai didn’t hear the rest of the conversation as they exited the room, his mind whirling around the word that Hideo had called him. _Son._ Now that he was standing in plain view in the garden, he felt an unknown emotion welling up in his chest as his vision blurred. He breathed deeply, wiping his eyes to prevent the tears from falling down his face.

“There you are!”

Aiya walked over to him with a smile on her face. It was wiped away completely when she took in his reddened eyes. “Is everything okay, Kuai?” she asked softly. “What happened? Was it those bullies, again?”

Kuai shook his head. “Hideo wants me to win the tournament tomorrow,” he sniffled. “So do my teachers. But I’m not sure if I’ll do a good job.”

Aiya sighed, giving him a sympathetic look. She pulled him into a gentle hug. “You’ve already been doing the tasks of a Third-in-Command,” she said softly. “You greet the villagers and treat them all with respect. You prevented the raiders from destroying our village. That’s all there is to the job, Kuai.”

“... Hideo called me his son,” he admitted.

“Well, it’s about damn time!” Aiya exclaimed, startling Kuai. “Has the fool finally said it, then?”

“I actually overheard him say it,” Kuai admitted sheepishly.

“Oh,” Aiya replied, disappointment showing on her face. “Well, that’s not the same, is it? Kuai, you are a part of my family. You are my _son,_ and you are also Hideo’s _son_ as well. I am so proud to have seen you grow this past year, and I was honored to be able to celebrate your birthday.”

Kuai’s thirteenth birthday had been celebrated about a month after he had come to the Shirai Ryu, on September 30. There had been a small party thrown in the house, making him flustered to see Hideo, Aiya, Hanzo, and Harumi there with a cake. He had been overwhelmed by the gesture and unabashedly cried that day in happiness and gratitude. Hanzo had shifted uncomfortably at the sight while the other adults hugged Kuai comfortingly.

Elaine had also heard of Kuai’s birthday when he visited her that day to tell her about the celebration. She had glossed over the details - blowing out candles and eating cake - and turned it into a lesson for Kuai. “So, then,” she had said to him, “you’re a Libra? Makes sense.” Kuai had, in turn, frowned. “What’s a Libra?” he asked, earning an incredulous expression from the woman as she started to lecture him about astrology and zodiac signs. 

Kuai thought that it was all mumbo-jumbo, but he wasn’t going to tell Elaine that. She kind of scared him, but he wouldn’t admit that aloud. 

“You’re my son,” Aiya repeated, bringing Kuai back to the present. “No matter what you do with the tournament tomorrow, I’ll continue to support you. Okay?”

“Okay,” Kuai replied, hugging her tightly. “Thank you… mother.”

She let him go, her eyes shining happily. “Come on,” she said, beckoning with her head toward the kitchen. “Let’s get some food into you before you go to bed. You have a big day tomorrow; you’ll need all the rest you can get.”

“Wait,” Kuai said, holding onto her hand to stop her from leaving. “Did you see my tree?”

* * *

The next morning, Kuai woke up with butterflies fluttering in his stomach. He had slept in that morning since Hideo had reassured him that he would take care of the new plants. Yes - even the tree that Kuai had planted the day before.

He slowly moved to put on his grey uniform, cleaning up his appearance as he went downstairs to the kitchen and dining area where Hideo and Aiya were. 

When Hideo caught sight of Kuai in the grey training clothes, he made a clicking noise with his tongue. “You’re not going to wear those,” he said, pointing his teaspoon toward Kuai. He stood up, reaching behind him to a seat that was hidden behind the dining table. Hideo picked up a folded set of clothes on the seat, walking over to place them in Kuai’s hands.

“From now on,” he said, looking down to Kuai. “You wear the colors of the Shirai Ryu. After today, no matter if you win the tournament or not, you will be a Shirai Ryu warrior. You will patrol the territory with your fellow brothers-in-arms. You will defend the Shirai Ryu to your last breath.”

Kuai stared at the beautiful yellow clothes he held in his hands. They were the exact same uniform that the other soldiers wore - they were the same design as the grey training clothes, the only difference was that they were yellow with white trim on the edges. The warriors with positions of power - Hideo, Hanzo, and Izumi - wore yellow uniforms with black trim.

At that mind, looking at the uniform, Kuai finally made a decision as he quelled the anxiety. He was going to win that yellow-and-black uniform.

He bowed respectfully to Hideo. “Thank you... father. I shall wear these colors with pride and honor.”

Hideo’s eyes sparkled happily. “Yes, you will, son. Now go and change! I want to see you in that uniform when I watch you beat those other kids.”

Kuai rushed up the stairs to his room, swapping clothes quickly. The material was a lot softer than the grey clothes had been - they were not as scratchy as the material of his old training outfit. Kuai ran a hand through the white sash that was tied around his waist, admiring the softness of the material before he rushed back downstairs to join his family at breakfast.

As Aiya cleaned up the empty plates, Hideo led Kuai outside the house and down the steps. There was already an uproar of cheers and shouts coming from the outdoor training area where the clanspeople had congregated. The bystanders stood on one side of the arena that had been set off by ropes. The warriors that were to compete in the tournament stood closest to the ropes in front of the bystanders.

Kuai made his way to join his classmates, the older senior warriors standing a distance away from the students. Hideo waited as Aiya joined his side, and the two walked on the opposite side of the arena to join Hanzo, Izumi, and Harumi who were waiting on the other side for them. Kuai bowed with the other students and warriors as Hideo addressed the crowd.

“Today,” Hideo exclaimed with a wave to silence the audience, “marks an important day for the Shirai Ryu. The warriors of the Shirai Ryu and the graduating students will compete in a tournament to decide who will replace the Third-in-Command position. Knock your opponent to the ground, and you win the fight. However, although this is a day of fighting and violence, this is also a day to remember our connections as a clan. No matter who wins, I expect nothing but respect for the victor. Now, let the tournament commence!”

As the crowd started to cheer again, deafening the area with their cries, Hanzo stood forward as Hideo sat in a chair next to Aiya. “Kenzo, Ren, stand forward!” he barked over the noise.

The senior warriors went under the ropes to stand in the circular arena, standing across from each other. They bowed respectfully before getting into their fighting stances, waiting for the command. The audience suddenly quieted, and Hideo nodded at Izumi. 

“Fight!” Izumi shouted.

Thus, the tournament commenced. Over the next few hours, Kuai watched as his classmates were pitted against each other. In his first match, Kuai was set to fight Natsu, a 23-year-old from his class. Kuai was familiar with the man and they respected each other greatly. Kuai planted his arms against his sides as he bowed, mirroring Natsu’s gesture before he got into his stance.

At Izumi’s command, Kuai waited for Natsu’s charge, crouching low as he drove his foot into the man’s chest. Now that his opponent was pushed back, Kuai pushed the advantage. He rushed forward as Natsu stumbled, landing a few well-placed strikes on Natsu. Just as the man was starting to recover from his attacks, Kuai took a step back as he blocked a wild punch from his right.

Kuai knew that he needed to end the fight quickly so that he could conserve energy. Muttering a silent apology to Natsu in his head, he fell to the ground and swept his leg with a speed that Natsu couldn’t react to. The man fell to the ground when Kuai’s leg knocked him off balance, landing on his back. 

As the crowd cheered for Kuai’s victory, the cryomancer extended a hand to Natsu, who took it gratefully, smiling at Kuai. “Congratulations,” Kuai spoke. “You put up a good fight.” Natsu chuckled good-naturedly. “I hope you win,” he said in a genuine voice.

Kuai only smiled back as they walked back to the sidelines. Natsu went to join his classmates and the warriors who had been defeated in their fights while Kuai went to join the group of victors. Much to his displeasure, Kuai noted that Shiro was still in the running, although he was happy to see that Taro and Yuta were gone.

Trying to not let his emotions cloud his judgment, Kuai refused to look in Shiro’s direction as he watched the next fight. He took the time to observe the other warriors’ habits in their fights, noting their weaknesses and strengths. Kuai fought in a couple more rounds, remembering to save his energy for the last fight as the number of the contenders dwindled. At the end of each round, he made sure to offer a hand to pull up the downed opponents in an act of respect and chivalry.

Now, there were only ten contenders left in the running. The sun was starting to slowly descend from its highest point, marking the time to be in the late afternoon. Kuai and Shiro were the only students in the top ten while the rest of the fighters were seasoned warriors. Kuai took a deep, silent breath as he calmed his nerves, focusing on the people around him who thought that he wouldn’t get far. He used their scorn and disbelief to fuel his determination.

He watched as three more fights commenced, thus eliminating three contenders from the top ten. Then, Hanzo called Kuai and Shiro to the arena, and the cryomancer stepped forward.

Of all the fights, Kuai knew that he had to win this one. Under no circumstances could he let Shiro become the new Third-in-Command of the Shirai Ryu. He bowed stiffly, ignoring Shiro’s smug look as the bully returned the bow, making the honorable gesture seem sarcastic. At Izumi’s command, Kuai leaped at Shiro with a sudden burst of aggressiveness that was unusual of Kuai’s defensive nature. Kuai had hoped that this unusual action would catch Shiro by surprise.

Luckily, the calculated risk had worked. Shiro shouted with surprise as Kuai’s fist connected with his face in a hard punch that made his head snap back. The crowd cheered at the first hit - they were well-aware of Kuai’s torment under the hand of Shiro. Seeing Kuai get his revenge was entertaining to watch.

Shiro cursed as he tried to block Kuai’s fast blows. While he succeeded in blocking some of the strikes, the majority of them still connected. Kuai relented in his assault, taking hasty steps back as Shiro suddenly roared, throwing himself forward toward Kuai in a fit of anger.

Kuai dodged the sloppy punches and kicks with ease and agility, managing to land a defensive kick that sent Shiro sprawling backward. Pushing this weakness, Kuai rushed forward to punch Shiro in the face again. Now that the man was stunned, Kuai was able to stand back-to-back with his opponent. Kuai wrapped his arm around Shiro’s neck, putting him in a chokehold as he used all of his weight to throw all six feet and ten inches of Shiro over his own body of five feet.

The cryomancer slammed Shiro into the dirt ground of the arena, forcing him to lay dazed on the floor. He had been defeated and removed from the tournament, and Kuai stood victoriously over him as the crowd roared in approval.

Despite all the things that Shiro had done to him, Kuai bent over to offer a hand to the fallen student. Scowling, Shiro batted away the invitation, leaving Kuai to retract his hand as he allowed Shiro to get up on his own.

Shiro stalked off to the group of defeated warriors without a word, stewing in his own anger as Kuai moved to join the other remaining five warriors in the tournament, ignoring the looks that they were sending down at his small figure. 

More fights commenced as the six fighters became three. Kuai gulped nervously - he was close to winning, now. Hanzo called Kuai and one of the remaining warriors - Jiro - to the middle of the arena. Kuai planted his feet into the ground, bowing respectfully before the other warrior, who smirked at Kuai.

Taking a deep breath, Kuai got back into his stance. By now, the sun was starting to dim in intensity. How long had he been here? Kuai shoved the exhaustion from his mind, knowing that he was fighting against a skillful warrior.

When the command was given, Jiro refused to make the first strike, waiting for Kuai to make the first strike. Kuai saw this and kicked experimentally at Jiro, who dodged the blow. The cryomancer, who hadn’t used his powers the entire tournament, could feel the ice start to creep up his forearm. He forced it back, wanting to win without needing his abilities. Committing to the charge, Kuai rushed forward, jumping up in the air as if he was going to punch Jiro in the face.

Suddenly, as Jiro was expecting to block a strike to the face, Kuai rolled to the ground in the blink of an eye, using his speed to roll between Jiro’s legs. Now that he was behind the warrior, Kuai planted his foot into Jiro’s back, sending him stumbling forward with an “oomph” of surprise.

As Jiro whirled around to face Kuai, the cryomancer was already on him like a demon, throwing high kicks that connected with his face and low punches that were driven into his abdomen. Before long, Jiro found himself winded. Kuai leaped forward through the air with his leg extended in a flying kick - it connected with Jiro’s chest, sending the man sprawling onto his behind.

Kuai panted, relaxing his form now that his opponent had been downed. Jiro seemed to be confused, looking around him as he saw that he had been bested by a thirteen-year-old. As with the others, Kuai slowly approached the man with his hand extended. Jiro took him by surprise with a grin on his sweaty face.

“Not bad, kid,” he chuckled as he accepted the hand, letting Kuai pull him up. “Not bad at all.”

Hideo stood up from his seat, addressing the people. “There are two contenders left,” he announced. Kuai turned to see the last contender, Kenzo, nodding satisfyingly. “There will be a thirty-minute break for the warriors to rest. We will resume after the break!”

* * *

Kuai sighed as he greedily drank the cold water from the offered canteen, his classmates surrounding him as they cheered him on.

“That was awesome, Liang!” one of them shouted wildly. “You can take this and win!”

“Did you see the way he took down Jiro?” another called out over the noise. “Man, I want to know how to do that!”

Kuai nodded thankfully towards his classmates, leaving the area to find some quiet as he found himself walking to Harumi’s house. He entered through the open front door as he wiped his shoes on the mat, stepping inside to see Satoshi.

The infant was now a toddler, crawling on all fours. He had recently turned one-year-old and proved to be an adventurous child. He looked up at Kuai, who knelt to the ground with a smile on his face. 

Satoshi squealed happily as Kuai took him up in his arms. “Are you happy to see me?” he asked the baby. “Did you miss your Uncle Kuai?”

It had shocked both Hanzo and Kuai when they realized that they were brothers. However, Kuai had come to accept the fact. He came by the house a lot to play with Satoshi, who was also his family at this point. 

“Where’s your mother?” Kuai asked, bouncing Satoshi up and down. The baby sputtered happily, and Kuai took the bib wrapped around Satoshi’s neck to wipe away the drool from the baby’s mouth. 

“I’m close to becoming the Shirai Ryu’s Third-in-Command,” Kuai confided in the child who wasn’t able to understand his words. “It’s scary, thinking of having all that responsibility. But if I do win, I’ll be sure to do my best to help the clan.”

Satoshi looked up with big, brown eyes as a grin started to grow on his face. He squealed, reaching up with a fat stubby arm to grab Kuai’s nose. Kuai snorted amusedly, indulging the toddler as his mind drifted away from thoughts of the tournament. 

Before long, however, the sound of a horn sounded - the five-minute warning for the clanspeople to return. He brought Satoshi back to his crib, placing the toddler down gently as Kuai wound up the music box. He left the house to return back to the arena, breathing deeply to curb his anxiety.

Kuai returned to the arena where a majority of the villagers had congregated again. As he passed through the crowd, he received claps on his back in encouragement. The support overwhelmed him as he finally stepped up to the ropes, ducking under them to join Kenzo in the arena.

The man smiled warmly at Kuai. “You’ve put up a good show today,” he praised. “But your winning streak ends here, kid.”

Kuai clenched his jaw tightly as he became more determined to win. “Wait until the end of the fight before you start boasting,” he cautioned as he stood up straight from his bow. Hideo stood up to speak again. He welcomed the people back before he motioned with his hands. Hanzo and Izumi walked down to the arena with staffs in their hands. 

Hanzo placed the staff in Kuai’s hand as Izumi did the same to Kenzo. “You’re allowed to fight with weapons,” Hanzo advised Kuai. “It’s a free-for-all; anything goes. Understood? You can use your powers.”

Kuai took the staff with one hand, tightening his grip on the wood. “It would be disrespectful,” he argued. “I will fight without my cryomancy and win the fight honorably.”

Hanzo shook his head exasperatedly. “Your enemies will not show you the same courtesy, and neither will Kenzo. If he forces your hand, you strike back, understood?”

The General’s son walked away as Izumi followed after him. The two teachers joined Hideo and Aiya on the side of the arena as Kuai and Kenzo wielded their weapons. 

“Now, fight!” Hideo commanded.

Kuai lifted up his staff to block the downward strike of his opponent, pushing Kenzo back with force. Kenzo was forced back as Kuai whirled the staff around his back in a flashy move, testing the weight. The cryomancer swiped flatly at Kenzo, forcing the warrior to go on the defensive.

They traded blows with each other; neither one of them was able to get the upper hand on the other. Suddenly, Kenzo lashed out with a sudden strike that Kuai only barely managed to block. However, because of the delay, Kenzo was able to pull the staff out of Kuai’s hands, leaving him defenseless.

Kuai was forced to dodge the swipes of the staff as Kenzo pushed his advantage. Hanzo held his breath anxiously as he watched the fight. Still, Kuai refused to call on his cryomancy. Kenzo pushed Kuai until the boy was against the ropes. Grinning triumphantly, the warrior raised the staff over his head to bring it down on Kuai’s head.

Then, in a move that caused the audience to gasp, Kuai jumped onto the ropes. With his feet planted on the twine, Kuai jumped over Kenzo’s head, tucking his body into a ball as he escaped the corner of the arena. He landed on his feet on the other side, facing his opponent’s back. 

Kenzo’s staff swung down, hitting the ground. He whirled around, too late to block Kuai’s kick to his chest. The strike sent Kenzo sprawling back - he fell against the ropes, leaning against them for support.

With a yell, Kuai rushed at the winded warrior, driving another kick into his chest again. The force sent Kenzo over the ropes that defined the arena, disqualifying him. 

Kuai panted, panicking when he saw that Kenzo had flipped head-over-heels from Kuai’s kick. “Sorry!” he exclaimed as he stepped under the ropes. “Are you okay?”

Kenzo groaned, blinking multiple times. “You actually beat me,” he said in a stunned tone, looking up at Kuai.

The cryomancer huffed, offering his hand to the downed warrior. “Well, don’t sound so surprised,” he joked.

Chuckling, Kenzo shook his head as he accepted the hand. “That was good,” he admitted as they both re-entered the arena, standing before the General. 

Hideo clapped as the clanspeople roared with approval. “Congratulations, to all of you who competed today,” he called out over the racket. “These two warriors put up a wonderful fight - didn’t they?”

Hanzo called Kuai to walk up to the General, which the cryomancer did. Harumi was whistling loudly in victory, her large smile making Kuai bashful. Aiya was nodding proudly, fixing Kuai with a smile of her own. 

Kuai bowed before the General respectfully, the emotions of victory and pride overwhelming him. Hideo looked down at Kuai with a happy smile on his face, the corners of his eyes crinkling with joy. Kuai grinned in response; the words he wanted to say were catching in his throat.

However, he didn’t need to say anything. Hideo bowed toward Kuai before turning to Hanzo. The First-in-Command handed a pile of folded clothing to the General, who presented it to Kuai.

“You are now Third-in-Command of the Shirai Ryu,” Hideo proclaimed. “When you take these garments, you are pledging to protect the Shirai Ryu with your life. Do you accept your title, with the intent to uphold these expectations, Kuai Liang?”

Kuai nodded firmly. “Yes; I do.”

“Then I, as General of the Shirai Ryu, greet you formally as Third-in-Command,” Hideo announced. He handed Kuai the clothes; the cryomancer took them gingerly, staring in awe at the black-lined yellow outfit.

The sounds of applause and cheers thundered in the small village. Kuai looked up through tear-stained eyes to Hideo and Aiya. He rushed to them, hugging them tightly as they returned the gesture. 

Hanzo let a small smile appear on his face, nodding in approval at the sight. He knew that life would be a lot more interesting, from now on.


	4. The Tragedy

**_I don't know where you're going,_ **

**_But do you got room for one more troubled soul?_ **

**_I don't know where I'm going,_ **

**_But I don't think I'm coming home_ **

**_And I said I'll check in tomorrow if I don't wake up dead._ **

**_This is the road to ruin, and we're starting at the end._ **

**\- Fall Out Boy, “Alone Together”**

* * *

_Five Years Later…_

Kuai crouched low in the grass, making sure to ensure that he was hidden. 

He slowly moved through the woods, looking down to the ground to identify the places to put his feet to avoid making any noise. He stared at a person who was standing on Shirai Ryu territory, wandering around aimlessly. Kuai had come across this person in his morning sweep of the territory, and he ensured that he remained out of sight.

Kuai burst out of the bushes, sweeping up the person - a small boy - in his arms. The child squealed in joy, laughing loudly as he was spun around in the air. 

“Shouldn’t you be in class?” Kuai asked the child, setting him down on the ground. “I know that you dislike the art class, but the teachers are teaching you how to read and write, which is important.”

“But Uncle Kuai!” Satoshi complained. “The teacher is mean! He got mad when I accidentally spilled milk on Sara.”

“Are you already causing trouble?” Kuai teased, holding onto Satoshi’s hand as he led his nephew back to the village. “It’s your first day, Satoshi. Have you made any friends, yet?”

Satoshi shrugged. “Not really.” He kicked at a tree root with disinterest. “I don’t really want to talk to anyone.”

“I understand how you feel,” Kuai said. “You know how I became a part of the Shirai Ryu, right?”

The five-year-old boy nodded rapidly. It was one of his favorite stories that Kuai would tell him. “You fought in a tournament and won!” he exclaimed. “Now, you’re one of the most respected warriors in the Shirai Ryu!”

“Right,” Kuai said patiently. “But it wasn’t always like that. I was once an outsider and an outcast. Nobody wanted anything to do with me. I felt isolated and alone. However, through talking and interacting with the people, they slowly began to accept me. Now, I’m the youngest Third-in-Command to have ever taken the position.”

They finally reached the village, stepping into the clearing where the clanspeople were conducting their daily routines. 

Harumi rushed to Kuai immediately, hugging Satoshi tightly. “Oh, thank the gods you found him, Kuai,” she said thankfully, looking up at him. “Where did you find him?”

“He was in the woods,” Kuai replied to the anxious mother.

Hanzo walked over to his family, nodding thankfully toward Kuai. “Thank you for finding him and bringing him back,” he said. Kuai nodded in turn, looking down at Satoshi’s dark hair. “It was nothing,” Kuai reassured them. “I actually enjoyed the walk in the woods. You don’t have to chastise him; I think I got through to him.”

Harumi chuckled. “Your form of ‘scolding’ is to gently reprimand them,” she said in a playful tone. “I’ll make sure that he doesn’t pull anything like this again.” She led Satoshi away and toward the school, reprimanding the child for running away and leaving Kuai with Hanzo.

“It’s your birthday today,” Hanzo noted, looking down slightly at Kuai. The cryomancer had grown a lot in the past years, he was now standing at Hanzo’s shoulder. “It’s also an important one, isn’t it? Your eighteenth, if I’m not mistaken.”

Kuai nodded in response as they started to walk through the village. “Hideo and Aiya kicked me out of the house to prepare for the celebration,” he said amusedly. “It’s a shame, really. I wanted to spend the day tending to the garden.”

The plumeria tree that Kuai had planted was blooming spectacularly. The beautiful flowers on the trees were white with yellow centers. Kuai had chosen the tree because the flowers symbolized new beginnings, which he had found in the Shirai Ryu clan.

“You tend to the garden every day,” Hanzo said, a small smile appearing on his face. “Hideo takes every chance he gets to point that out. I’m pretty sure he loves you better than myself for that attribute.”

“He loves the both of us equally,” Kuai admonished, swatting at Hanzo’s head. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

“Do you know what you want for your birthday?” Hanzo asked curiously.

“I have everything I need,” Kuai replied, shaking his head. “I have a loving family with a clan that prioritizes family over success. What more could I ask for?”

Kuai was about to say that he had a brother that cared about him, but something prevented him from saying it aloud. It was unusual to see Hanzo as a brother, truthfully. He saw him more as a respected friend and knew that Hanzo saw him the same way.

“I have a mission,” Hanzo admitted. “I’m required to steal a map from a temple. It’s not too far from here, only about a day’s ride to get there and another day to ride back. Is there anything you desire for me to pick up along the way?”

Kuai shook his head again. “I don’t need nor want anything. I am a happy man.”

“Then let me give you your gift,” Hanzo said, reaching into the satchel slung over his shoulder, “before I leave. My gift to you, from a friend to another.”

Hanzo held an ornamental silver mask in his hands, offering it to a stunned Kuai. The mask had black weaving lines forged into the metal, symmetrical on both sides. Kuai took the gift with both hands, admiring the craftsmanship.

“It’s beautiful,” Kuai acknowledged. “Thank you so much, Hanzo.”

The older man shrugged; his face flushed slightly from the thanks. “I remember you telling me about how it can be difficult for you to breathe in humid climates. With this mask, hopefully, you’ll be able to breathe easier through the ventilation.”

Kuai beamed happily at Hanzo, pocketing the mask for use later. “Be careful on your mission,” he cautioned. “Sudden requests from employers like these make me anxious.”

“The clan must take jobs to support its economy,” Hanzo replied, nodding at Kuai’s words. “Nevertheless, I will heed your words. Watch over Satoshi for me while I am gone, would you?”

“Of course,” Kuai responded, bowing before Hanzo. “He will be safe under my supervision.”

Hanzo bowed back, walking away with a final farewell. Kuai watched him leave on horseback, continuing to look at the warrior until he was out of sight.

Little did he know, that would be the last time he would see Hanzo Hasashi for many years.

* * *

As the moon hung brightly in the sky, the sounds of celebration in Hideo’s house rose pierced through the silence of the night.

Kuai laughed as Satoshi stuffed his face full of the birthday cake, his cheeks puffing out like a chipmunk’s. Aiya watched from the sides with a smile as Hideo cleaned up Satoshi’s cheeks with a napkin. 

They were sitting in the courtyard of the garden, celebrating Kuai’s eighteenth birthday. Harumi looked up to admire the beautiful white-and-yellow flowers on Kuai’s plumeria tree, talking with Kuai about the symbolism of the flowers.

Suddenly, Satoshi announced that he was full and needed to use the bathroom. Harumi stood up to bring her son to the restroom, but Kuai stood up and intervened. “It’s alright,” he reassured her. “I can take him. Just stay here and have some fun.”

She smiled thankfully at Kuai, nodding in response. “Alright. Satoshi, you listen to your Uncle, alright?”

Satoshi nodded dutifully, the yellow icing from the cake staining his cheeks. “Yes, mom!” 

Kuai held onto Satoshi’s hand as he led the child through the house, opening the door to the bathroom as he let the child enter. “Wash your face and hands when you are done,” Kuai said before Satoshi nodded, closing and locking the door.

The cryomancer sighed happily, thinking back to the events of his life that got him to this moment. He thought back to the Lin Kuei and the horrors he had experienced. He allowed himself a moment of grief for Tomas, the brother he had to leave behind. Tomas was the only true brother in Kuai’s life. Bi-Han had ceased to be a brother to Kuai when he distanced himself from their relationship. Hanzo… Hanzo was more like the friend that Kuai could confide in. He was a reliable friend that always encouraged Kuai to try his best. There wasn’t enough sibling fighting and interaction between them for Kuai to consider him a brother. 

A distant scream jolted Kuai out of his thoughts, and he stood upright to attention. He moved carefully to the window, peering outside to see who had let out the cry. The darkness of the village obscured his vision, however, leaving Kuai without any knowledge of what had happened.

Frowning, Kuai returned to his post outside of the bathroom, waiting for Satoshi to finish. He could hear the water running from the sink when he heard rapid footsteps approach from the hall.

Kuai looked up, frowning when he saw the anxious and frightened look on Harumi’s face. “What’s wrong?” he asked her.

Harumi clutched Kuai’s arms in a state of fear, her eyes wide. “I left the garden to put the dishes in the sink,” she whispered. “When I returned, I peeked through the door. There are Lin Kuei soldiers here. They killed Hideo and Aiya, Kuai!”

Kuai felt his heart stop as the words sunk in.

“I ran here,” Harumi continued. “Please, Kuai, you have to take Satoshi and run. Run, right now! Please, don’t let them kill my son!”

“But the other villagers -” Kuai protested.

“If they got here,” Harumi reasoned despite her panicked state, “then they likely killed the clanspeople in their sleep. There’s no one left to save. Please, Kuai, you have to take Satoshi now and run.”

“But what about you?” Kuai asked desperately. “Hanzo will be arriving home tomorrow. What about him?”

Harumi started to sob. “I heard them. The Lin Kuei, after killing Hideo, they said that it was easier now that his son was dead.”

Kuai felt nauseous. “By the Elder Gods…”

“Please,” Harumi urged him. “No one will be able to flee if someone does not stay to hold them back. If I took Satoshi and ran, we wouldn’t get far. I don’t know how to fight. But you do, Kuai. You can take Satoshi and run. I’ll hold them off.” Her head was tilted up with determination.

At that moment, Satoshi emerged from the bathroom. He took in his mother’s tears and Kuai’s shocked face. “Mom…?”

Harumi crouched to the floor, pulling Satoshi into a tight hug. “Satoshi, sweetheart, bad people are here to kill all of us. You listen to your Uncle, understood? You always listen to what he says, okay?”

“But what about you, mom?” Satoshi was starting to cry. “Aren’t you coming with us? What about dad?”

“Your father is dead,” Harumi said through choked sobs. “And I need to stay here to hold them back. Uncle Kuai will take good care of you, okay?” She gave one final squeeze before letting go of her son, turning to Kuai tearfully.

She hugged Kuai as well. The cryomancer couldn’t believe it. His old clan was here, killing his family. “It’s not your fault,” Harumi whispered, patting Kuai’s head. “Don’t blame yourself for this mess. I love both of you. Please, just promise me that you'll take care of Satoshi.”

Kuai nodded, burying his face into the crook of her neck. “I promise,” he said in a shaky voice.

With that, she tore herself away from Kuai and rushed back to the garden. Satoshi started to cry harder as she disappeared. “Mom!” he cried out.

Quickly, Kuai knelt to place a hand over Satoshi’s mouth. “Shh,” Kuai said, tears starting to well up in his eyes as well. “I promised your mother that I’d protect you, so I will. You have to be quiet so that they don’t hear us. Remember Hide-and-Seek? That’s what we’re going to do, okay?”

With wide, scared eyes, Satoshi nodded. Kuai removed his hand, placing it in Satoshi’s as he ran down the hallway to the back of the house on the upper floor of the house. Kuai lifted up the window, seeing the trees of the forest that stood behind Hideo’s house. He looked down at Satoshi.

“I’m going to put you on the branch,” Kuai said quietly. “You remember climbing on trees, right? This is no different. I want to you climb to the middle of the tree - the trunk, there - and hug onto it. I’ll be right behind you, okay?”

“Okay,” Satoshi whispered, lifting up his arms so that Kuai could lift the child firmly. The cryomancer held Satoshi up through the window, setting him onto the thickened branch. Satoshi started to crawl on the branch quickly, the limb shaking slightly under his weight. 

Once he was across and had wrapped his arms around the trunk, Satoshi turned his head back to look at Kuai, who had his foot stuck out the window onto the tree branch. Taking a deep breath to stop himself from shaking, Kuai closed the window behind him before he nimbly walked across the branch to reach Satoshi, standing over him as he looked down to the ground. 

The height that they were at right now wasn’t too far from the ground. Kuai sat down on the branch, turning to Satoshi. “Wrap your arms around my neck - kind of like you do in those piggyback rides. I’ll climb down for both of us, alright?”

Satoshi silently did as Kuai ordered. Once the child was secure on his back, Kuai started to descend the tree, placing his hands and feet on the sturdiest branches as he descended the tree like it was a ladder. 

He jumped to the soft, dirt floor of the forest, scanning his surroundings wildly. Luckily, it didn’t seem as though the Lin Kuei knew that the back of the house was accessible. Still carrying Satoshi on his back, Kuai ran into the forest without looking back. 

As he ran through the woods with the boy on his back, Kuai could see a blazing fire between the trees. With a sinking feeling, Kuai remembered that Elaine’s hut was there, which was the likely source of the fire. He wanted to go and help her but didn’t want to risk Satoshi’s and his lives in the process. Remembering the promise he made to Harumi, Kuai forced himself to run. 

He remembered the time he had run away from the Lin Kuei. This felt a lot like that, only he was leaving behind a place of love and happiness - he had lost more this time. Satoshi continued to cry quietly on Kuai’s back, only making the cryomancer cry even more as well in a silent manner.

Finally, Kuai found a steep overhang in the land where the grassy ground sloped over a lower level of the land, creating a small cover for the two to hide. Kuai dropped down over the edge of the overhang, letting Satoshi down as he pressed his back against the dirt wall that created the overhang. 

Kuai looked above him to see that the grassy overhang completely covered them both if they sat with their legs crossed. The cryomancer turned to Satoshi, whispering in a quiet voice. “In a little bit, I’m going back. I’m going to see if anyone else is alive. If I don’t come back when the sun rises, you run far away, okay?”

Satoshi whimpered fearfully. “Don’t go!” he whispered. “I don’t want you to leave.”

“I have to, Satoshi,” Kuai urged, wiping the tears out of his eyes. “We don’t have any weapons to defend ourselves with. I need to go back - I’ll come back as soon as I can, alright?”

When he got a tearful nod in response, Kuai turned to peek outside for a second before he took off, running silently through the trees in his yellow-and-black uniform. He crouched low in the treeline of the forest, hiding in bushes while he looked out to the main clearing of the village. 

There, Lin Kuei cyborgs were standing in front of a pale-faced man - even paler than Kuai. It appeared as though this man was wearing white face paint. He was talking to the cyborgs as Kuai listened in.

“The Shirai Ryu have been exterminated, just as Sektor wanted,” the bald white-faced man spoke. His dark, spiked armor with skulls made his figure all the more threatening to Kuai. “I expect his word tomorrow, and no later. He must fulfill his side of the arrangement.”

The cyborgs bowed toward the unknown figure. “We will inform him,” one of them said before they took off to the sky, flying in the air.

The bald man and Kuai watched as they left. With a wave of the man’s hand, all of the houses in the village were lit ablaze. Kuai jerked back at the horrific sight, only barely catching the sight of the white-faced man stepping through a self-conjured portal that disappeared.

With the departure of all enemies, Kuai took off through the village toward the armory. He had to salvage what he could before the place burned down. Breaking down the burning door, Kuai coughed. He quickly put on the silver mask that had been given to him by Hanzo, finally able to breathe in the smog with the ventilation. Lifting his hands, he summoned his ice to combat the flames. Immediately, the fire died down under the cold temperature, saving the armory.

Kuai quickly grabbed a bag, packing swords and knives of all kinds into the bag that was shaped like a duffel bag. He ran out of the armory quickly, running to Hideo’s house. Had Harumi survived?

The cryomancer made his way through the house, extinguishing the flames that clung to the walls. He made his way to the garden, eyes wide with shock as he saw Hideo and Aiya, lying dead on the floor. 

Their blood stained the stone floor, painting the grey with splatters of red. There were gashes in their necks that permitted the spread of the blood, their lifeless eyes staring blankly at the ceiling. Their hands were nearly touching the other’s - as if while they were bleeding out, they had tried to reach each other. 

Kuai knelt to the ground as the fire raged, his hands reaching out for the bodies of his adoptive parents. He rested his forehead against Hideo’s chest, letting all the tears fall out of his eyes as he sobbed heavily, the memories of his life with them flashing through his mind.

In the background, the garden burned. Kuai’s plumeria tree was scorched, the white-and-yellow flowers withering under the heat as they blackened, falling to the ground as ash. Kuai lifted his head, taking in all the carnage around him.

Forcing himself back onto his feet, Kuai stumbled through the house, calling out for Harumi as he continued to put out the fires. He kicked down the door to the main bedroom, covering his mouth in shock.

Harumi was lying on the bed, her eyes closed peacefully as if she was sleeping. However, there was a long sword impaled in her chest, protruding through to the bottom of the bed. A trickle of blood fell from the corner of her mouth.

Kuai cried out in grief and agony, covering his mouth with his hands. Forcing himself to return to Satoshi, who was still waiting for him in the forest, Kuai stumbled out of the house, running back to his nephew.

He found Satoshi huddled under the overhang and pulled the boy into a hug. They sobbed as they clutched each other firmly, finding solace in each other’s embrace. After crying their hearts out, Kuai wiped his eyes and used his sleeve to wipe away Satoshi’s tears, looking at the child.

“We’re going to leave,” Kuai said. “It’s not safe for us there, anymore. We have to go.”

“Where will we go?” Satoshi sniffed. “The Shirai Ryu was our home; we have nowhere to go!”

Kuai turned his head to the horizon, taking in the blood-red sun as it rose into the sky. “We’ll find a way,” he promised Satoshi. “One step after another. Now, we run.”

The two boys ran towards the sun, leaving their home that had been burned to ash.

* * *

Only hours later, in the ruins of the Shirai Ryu clan, two people were standing amongst the dead bodies of the slain clanspeople.

One of them, a masked man with swords strapped to his back, took shocked and unsteady steps through the desecrated village, looking around. His blood began to boil as anger spread like wildfire through his veins.

This man came to a stop in front of a large house, which had somehow managed to remain intact in the fires that had plagued the Shirai Ryu before. The masked man walked into the charred house, looking down at the bodies of Hideo and Aiya. His hands clenched in anger as he tore his gaze away, moving towards the back of the house and up the stairs.

The man stopped at the open bedroom door where Harumi had been slain - her porcelain face was pale with death, the blood on her face a stark contrast to the white color of her face. The man rushed to her side, kneeling on the floor as he took her hand in his, clenching onto it tightly.

He began to cry.

Now, entering the bedroom behind the first man was his companion. A white-faced sorcerer who had introduced himself as Quan Chi, a necromancer. He had found this other man’s spirit in a state of unrest in the Netherrealm and brought him back to life as an undead specter. He had brought the human-turned-specter to the human world to show him what had happened to the Shirai Ryu.

“You see, then?” Quan Chi asked in a rumbling voice. “You see the destruction brought about by the Lin Kuei? They deserve to be brought down for their sins, don’t they?”

The specter sobbed harder, clutching Harumi’s dead hand.

“What will you do, then?” Quan Chi pressed. “What will you do, Hasashi?”

The specter looked up. His milky-white, dead eyes pierced through Quan Chi as he stood up. Flames danced down his forearms, not causing any pain to the undead specter as he howled. 

“The Lin Kuei will pay!” he roared. “This is the vow I make as the last Shirai Ryu. No Lin Kuei warrior will hide from my quest of vengeance for my family. So is the word of Scorpion!”


	5. Renegade Warrior

**_I’m on the front line,_ **

**_Don’t worry I’ll be fine_ **

**_The story is just beginning._ **

**_I say goodbye to my weakness_ **

**_So long to regret…_ **

**\- Shinedown, “Diamond Eyes”**

* * *

_Seven Years Later…_

Kuai exhaled, his cold breath materializing in the wind through the silver mask covering the lower half of his face.

He stood still as a statue, taking slow, near-unmoving breaths as he stared down the scope of his sniper rifle. _Breathe,_ he told himself. He was a panther lying in wait for its prey to make its final, fatal mistake.

Below, the streets of New York blared loudly as vehicles drove past the building that Kuai was at. He stood at the edge of the roof in his dark, black leather jacket with the navy blue undershirt and black jeans. He also wore a belt with many weapons attached to it, just in case. “Thirty degrees north,” he muttered under his breath to himself. “Wind speed of fifteen miles per hour, adjust.” 

He waited, patiently.

Finally, the window that the scope was latched onto showed movement. Kuai’s eyes slightly narrowed as he stared at the target he had been hired to assassinate. The target - a man in a fancy white suit - was shouting on the phone. Taking a deep breath in, Kuai double-checked his measurements before he exhaled, squeezing the trigger of the rifle.

The sound of the shot was muffled by the silencer at the end of the firearm, and Kuai watched through the scope as the bullet breached the window, burying itself into the target’s brain. Blood coated the window, but Kuai saw the man fall to the ground, lying lifeless on the ground with a blank stare.

Satisfied that the deed was done, Kuai retrieved his phone from his back pocket of the jeans and texted his employer: “Done.” He got an instant notification from his bank, letting him know that the money had been transferred to his account - a total of $800,000. The amount was a little bit smaller than the average that Kuai would normally receive in these “jobs,” but he didn’t complain. 

He began to pack up his rifle, disassembling it on the rooftop and making sure that there was no evidence to suggest that he was there. He descended the building from the fire escapes on the sides, somersaulting down until he landed on his feet in a crouch, standing up in the alleyway he had landed in.

* * *

_Before Kuai had found himself in New York, he had to find a way to get from Asia to the United States. Of course, he couldn’t do so without passports for himself and Satoshi, as well as cash._

_So, to earn the money he needed, Kuai started accepting jobs by blacklist employers to take out crime bosses and mafia leaders. He had become a mercenary. While he had been upset at first, he grudgingly began to accept it as the pay was excellent. Besides, with every assignment he took, he would preemptively check the target’s identity. If the target dealt with criminal activities or committed other crimes, Kuai would take the job._

_Over the course of a year, Kuai had accumulated enough money to buy fake passports and IDs for himself and Satoshi. He had also purchased plane tickets as well, and the two were able to fly to New York, where they had been living for the past six years._

_Kuai did his best to raise Satoshi in a normal environment, remembering his promise to Harumi. He enrolled Satoshi in a public school and helped the child with his homework. They lived in an apartment - Kuai was afraid to draw too much attention to himself by purchasing a bigger living space. Still, with the money he earned as he continued his mercenary work in New York, Kuai indulged Satoshi with treats, games, and other material objects that the traumatized child wanted._

_Still, Kuai continued to take out the criminals and worst people in New York, always making sure to see if the target deserved to be killed. For his views of killing the monsters - which went against the mercenary code - he was given the nickname “Renegade.” Kuai didn’t mind it - it was fitting for another reason. He had abandoned the Lin Kuei and was a renegade of_ **_that_ ** _clan, so it fit in a personal context._

_Employers were eager to get ahold of Kuai - they knew how effective he was in the field. In the beginning, when Kuai didn’t have money to purchase the high-tech weapons he used nowadays, he would face the target and fight them in hand-to-hand combat, overpowering them easily. Sometimes, at the crime scene, there would be ice on the walls or encasing the corpse - officials were puzzled, criminals were terrified._

_Still, no one knew who Kuai was in the mercenary world, and they also couldn’t piece together how the ice appeared in his crime scenes. Kuai was thankful for that - he didn’t want his life with Satoshi to get caught up in this mess._

* * *

As Kuai stood up in the alley, the invisible hairs on the back of his neck stood up as he whirled around, hurling a shuriken at a figure shrouded in darkness.

A yelp was emitted from the unknown person as they rolled to the floor to dodge the steel star, which buried itself into the brick wall.

Kuai snarled as he saw the figure, now illuminated by the yellow streetlight. “Black.”

The Black Dragon mercenary got onto his feet quickly, retrieving his hat from the ground as he placed it back on his head securely. He spoke in a voice as sweet and smooth as honey - a voice he only reserved for Kuai. “Now, sweetheart,” he chided. “You don’t have to be so cruel; it’s only me, after all.”

Kuai’s nose wrinkled under the mask - Black couldn’t see it - as the horrible southern drawl scratched at his ears. “Fuck off, Black,” Kuai hissed. “I’m not in the goddamn mood.”

“You never are, buttercup,” Black said, digging his thumbs under the waistband of his pants as he jutted his hip out in a suggestive manner. “What are you doin’ around these parts, Renegade? I haven’t seen you for a while, now that I remember our last encounter.”

It had been a year since Kuai had first met the insufferable cowboy. They had met on a hit that they had both been assigned. They agreed to form a temporary alliance as they took down a small mafia gang in upstate New York. Kuai had spent the entire ordeal struggling to not wring the man’s neck himself - he had been so happy when the job was done.

Now, seeing Black was becoming an unfortunate weekly part of Kuai’s routine. 

And he flirted. _Constantly._

“I just finished an assignment,” Kuai stated bluntly, his right hand resting on his belt where a throwing knife laid in wait. “What are you doing here, Black? Did Kano send you to kill me?”

Erron scoffed, walking up to Kuai without any fear. “Nah,” he said dismissively. “I just got bored. What say you and I head on back to my place?” he purred suggestively, leaning in close to the point where Kuai could smell the liquor on his breath. “We _could_ have a fun night - I could help you... _loosen_ _up_ a little bit. What do ya say?”

Kuai snorted. “You’ll fuck just about anything with two legs,” he retorted, taking a step back to put some distance between the two. He knew that Erron was only interested in him because of the mystery surrounding his name and reputation. 

Black shrugged in response, leaning back dejectedly. “Well, suit yourself.” He walked past Kuai, down the alleyway towards the main street. “I’ll be seein’ you around, Renegade,” he called out behind him. “Maybe some other time.”

Kuai rolled his eyes. “He thinks he’s such hot shit,” he muttered under his breath so that Black couldn’t pick up on it. As soon as Black had turned the corner and left his sight, Kuai counted for another ten, long seconds before he went to the street and walked to his car which was parked on the edge of the sidewalk - a black Audi. 

Unlocking the door and sitting in the driver’s seat, Kuai put the car into drive and turned onto the street, driving back home through the crowded roads of New York traffic.

It took another thirty minutes before Kuai finally pulled into the parking lot created for the apartment complex. He parked in the same spot he always did, locking the doors as he walked to the entrance of the apartment building. 

Walking inside, Kuai briefly greeted the front desk lady, Doris, before heading to the elevator as he pressed the button to his floor. The elevator doors slid shut as Kuai sighed, finally able to relax. When the doors opened again, Kuai was looking down a single, red-carpeted floor that led to his apartment at the end of the hall. He strolled down the single hallway, passing by the doors of neighbors he hadn't met as he inserted the key into his door. He pushed it open, walking inside as he shut and locked the door behind him, throwing his keys with a handling noise as they slid into the bowl. 

“Toshi!” he called out, one of the many nicknames for his nephew. “I'm back!”

“I'm in the kitchen!” a younger male voice called back. “I have homework.”

Kuai took off the black leather jacket - he had it made special. The material was bulletproof and could withstand three knife stabs to the same area before tearing; it came in handy in his job. He also removed the silver mask that Hanzo had given him the day he died. Kuai had made some adjustments to it when it became too small to wear; now, it fit him perfectly.

The cryomancer walked into the kitchen, seeing Satoshi sitting at the dining table with a worksheet. The boy was twelve-years-old now, the same age that Kuai had been when he stumbled into the territory of the Shirai Ryu. That made Kuai the age 24, a young adult caring for a child twelve years younger than he was.

Kuai peered over Satoshi’s shoulder to see what he was working on, standing back a bit to give him space to breathe. “Algebra?” he noted aloud. “I can help you with that if you have any questions.”

Satoshi paused in his homework, looking up to Kuai as he shook his head. “It’s fine,” he said with a thankful smile. 

With the tragedy the two had shared, the experience brought them closer together. While Kuai would never be able to replace Hanzo as Satoshi’s father, Kuai saw himself as the older brother of Satoshi. He promised himself to never be as cold and callous as Bi-Han was to him. So far, he was doing a good job.

“Who’d you kill, today?” Satoshi asked with a clear interest in his voice.

“Just some minor mob boss,” Kuai replied dismissively as he went to the kitchen to start cooking dinner. Before, Kuai would just buy fast food and takeout for meals. However, now that he was able to finish his assignments quickly and efficiently, he made it a point to learn how to cook healthy, freshly-made meals for them both. Presently, Kuai placed a pot of boiling water on one corner of the stovetop while he took out a saucepan to make meat sauce.

“Did anything interesting happen in school today?” Kuai asked as he waited for the pan to heat up.

“There was Career Day today,” Satoshi replied from the table. “But I already know what I'm going to be.”

“Oh, yeah?” Kuai asked amusedly as he placed ground beef in the pan, seasoning it with salt and pepper. “What do you want to be when you grow up?”

There was a pause, and Kuai opened his mouth to repeat the question, not knowing if Satoshi had heard him or not.

“I want to be a fighter,” Satoshi said in a quiet voice.

Kuai almost dropped the spoon he was using to break up the meat.

“I know what you’re going to say,” Satoshi interrupted. “It’s too dangerous and it doesn't provide a steady source of income. But, Kuai, I want to honor my dad and mom. I want to fight in their name and avenge the clan.”

Kuai took a deep breath, lowering the heat on the stovetop as he turned around to walk to Satoshi. He knew that this would eventually come up; luckily, he knew _exactly_ what to say. Kuai took the seat next to Satoshi at the table, making direct eye-contact with him.

“I know you remember that your mom and dad died,” Kuai spoke somberly, “but I don't think you remember what exactly happened that day. After your mother hugged you for the last time, she turned to me. She made me promise her that I’d look out for you and keep you safe. Tosh-Bear, I can't, in good conscience, let you down this path. Your parents would have wanted you to move on and live a happy life. Your father, Hanzo, would have wanted you to be the best you could be. Your mother, Harumi, would have wanted you to be happy. I know for certain that you won't accomplish any of these things as a fighter like me.”

“But how can I honor their memory?” Satoshi pleaded - the vulnerability in his voice making Kuai’s heart shatter.

“Live on, and preserve their memory,” Kuai pressed, holding onto his nephew’s hand. “Live a happy life, the way you want to, Toshi. This life - it _changes_ people. I saw how it changed my brother from a caring older sibling to a cold-hearted killer. I don’t want to see that happen to you, and I _know_ that Hanzo and Harumi would hate it if they saw that happen to their son.”

Satoshi’s eyes were shining with punished tears as he hugged Kuai tightly. “Thank you,” he whispered. “I didn't actually want to do it; I'm scared of fighting.”

Kuai nodded as he rubbed Satoshi’s back comfortingly. “I’ll finish making dinner,” he said slowly. “You focus on finishing up your homework, alright?”

The cryomancer returned to the stove and turned up the heat again, letting the comfortable silence wash over the apartment.

* * *

Kuai gently shut Satoshi’s bedroom door after tucking the child in, standing in the hallway. The cryomancer sighed as he walked to the living room area and sat on the sofa in front of the TV, reaching for the remote as he turned on the news.

The talk with Satoshi before dinner that night had brought up some buried memories in Kuai. Through the years after the decimation of the Shirai Ryu, Kuai had worked non-stop to provide for himself and Satoshi. He never had a chance to heal properly. Now, the memories of his adoptive parents - Hideo and Aiya - burned brightly in his mind. He remembered the couple’s kindness as they took him in, accepting him into their family. Kuai remembered Harumi’s kind face as he helped her cook in the kitchen and watch over a baby Satoshi. He remembered Hanzo’s rare smiles that gave him a warm, happy feeling inside. He mourned their deaths, breathing deeply as the tears streaked down his cheeks in silent sobs.

Suddenly, a bright light engulfed the small apartment. Kuai lifted his arm to shield his eyes from the flash, but he was still blinded. When he could see again, blinking spots out of his vision, his jaw dropped in shock at the sight before him.

Standing in the living room of his apartment in front of the TV was a person. However, Kuai could see that this was not an ordinary man. His pure white hair came down to his shoulders and he was bare-chested, revealing an intricate glowing neon blue dragon tattoo that weaved around his chest and spread to his arms. His eyes were also the same neon blue, glowing in the relative darkness of the apartment. Although he had no pupils, his eyes seemed kind. A metal band of some sort was wrapped around the top of his forehead, pushing the bangs out of the way. On his back was a decorative straw hat and a string of beads was wrapped around the stranger’s neck in a necklace.

Kuai, in a brief moment of intelligence, uttered, “Who the fuck are you?!”

The stranger floated to the ground (Kuai only then realized that he had been levitating in the air, before) as he looked down at Kuai with a gentle smile as the cryomancer got back onto his feet. “I am Lord Liu Kang,” the ethereal being spoke in a deep voice. “I am the God of Thunder and Fire, and I am also the Keeper of Time. I have come to you in search of help.”

_In all honesty, Kuai had heard of weirder things..._

Kuai frowned in confusion and curiosity. “What help does a god require of me?”

“There is a tournament hosted every year,” Liu Kang spoke. “In the realm known as Outworld. Have you heard of these realms?”

When Kuai nodded, Liu Kang continued. “Years ago, the emperor of Outworld - Shao Kahn - tried to invade Earthrealm. In a desperate act to save Earthrealm from being invaded, I called upon the Elder Gods, Lords Raiden, Fujin, Kitana, and Kung Lao. They decreed that if Outworld warriors beat Earthrealm warriors in a yearly tournament for ten consecutive years, Outworld would be permitted to invade Earthrealm. Outworld has already won nine times. This tournament dictates whether Earthrealm is invaded.”

_That doesn't sound good._

“I am desperate,” Liu Kang admitted. “I am searching every corner of Earthrealm for warriors who are willing to fight on behalf of Earthrealm. If Shao Kahn wins, this realm will be subjected to subjugation and authoritarianism under the hand of a maniac. Will you, Kuai Liang, assist me in the Mortal Kombat tournament?”

Kuai hesitated. This sounded very dangerous; there was also a high probability that he wouldn't make it out alive. Nevertheless, the outcome, if Outworld was to win, was too vile to ignore…

“If I accept,” Kuai said slowly, “I’ll require a few things. First of all - Satoshi. I need someone to look after him while I am gone, and I also want to know that you’ll take care of him if I don't make it back. Second - I need armor. Are you familiar with the gear worn by the Lin Kuei or Shirai Ryu clans? Something like that would suffice.”

Liu Kang nodded in agreement. “I shall see to it myself that Satoshi is looked after by one of the monks from my monastery at the Sky Temple. He can continue to live here and attend the school he is currently enrolled in. Furthermore, I can also provide you with the armor you require.”

With a wave of his hand, a pile of clothes appeared in the god’s hands. They were a simple dark grey with black trim on the edges. Kuai was thankful that they were not blue or yellow - with him being an outcast of one clan and the other clan not existing anymore, he was a nomad. The grey perfectly expressed his lack of ties to any of the clans. Furthermore, it reminded Kuai of Tomas - even if it was a darker shade of grey than the silver shade the enenra had worn.

There were three matching sets in the pile which was handed off to Kuai. The cryomancer took them in his hands, the action reminding him of the Third-in-Command tournament he had won in years past.

“You have led a very interesting path in life,” Liu Kang spoke, studying him curiously. “One that is very different than the one you led in the past.”

“... What are you talking about?” Kuai frowned in confusion.

“I have experienced these events already,” Liu Kang explained. “I was once a mortal and participated in the Mortal Kombat tournament as Earthrealm’s champion. The timeline was reset by the previous Keeper of Time, Kronika. Still, you are the only one whose life has changed drastically.” 

He took a moment to muse, looking down at Kuai. “You are more skilled than your previous counterpart - probably due to the combined teachings of the Lin Kuei and Shirai Ryu. Because I can not compete in the tournament, I will pick you to be my new Chosen One.”

Kuai bowed respectfully, not fully understanding what that meant for him. “Thank you, Lord Liu Kang. I will fight for Earthrealm’s freedom in the tournament.”

“Let us depart, then,” Liu Kang declared. “I will leave you a moment to say goodbye to your nephew and for you to pack your belongings. I will then teleport the two of us to the boat that will ferry us to Shang Tsung’s island, the sorcerer who proceeds the tournament.”

Kuai nodded in reply, heading straight toward Satoshi’s bedroom as he paused at the door. He thought back to the conversation they had about Kuai’s vow to protect him - now, he would have to leave him to uphold his vow to Harumi. Kuai knocked twice on the door gently before entering.

Satoshi blinked sleepily, rubbing his eyes as Kuai sat on the edge of the bed. “Kuai? What’s going on?”

“Hey, Toshi. I… have to leave for a while,” Kuai started. He took his time describing the purpose of the tournament and the chances of him making it back alive. As he finished, Satoshi started to cry again.

“I want to be selfish and keep you here,” he sniffled, “but I know that you have to go. I just don't want to be the only one left.”

“I swear on the memory of your parents and your grandparents that I will do everything in my power to come back home to you,” Kuai spoke firmly. “I am _not_ going to leave you alone willingly, okay? Even if I die, I will find a way to come back to you; _I promise.”_

 _"I promise,"_ Bi-Han had made Kuai a promise once. Unlike him, Kuai intended to keep it.

Satoshi shut his eyes tight as he nodded once, wrapping his arms around Kuai's neck. “Come back alive,” he whispered.

“I will,” Kuai replied determinedly, holding onto Satoshi as he memorized his face so that he wouldn't forget. He stood up and left the room, shutting the door behind him.

Kuai went to his bedroom, changing into the new clothes and packing the extra sets into a backpack, along with other casual t-shirts and jeans. He also brought the bulletproof leather jacket and folded it on top of the pile of clothes, starting to zip it up when something caught his eye from the dresser top.

It was a recent picture of Kuai and Satoshi together. Kuai had it framed and kept it on his dresser as a reminder to continue to fight and live for the child. He packed it in the backpack underneath the leather jacket, hoping to bring that same fighting spirit with him to the tournament. With everything packed away, Kuai fastened the silver mask that had been gifted to him by Hanzo on the lower half of his face, exiting the bedroom to join Liu Kang in the living room.

Liu Kang extended a hand in an invitation which Kuai took immediately before he could doubt himself. A bright light engulfed the room, and when it died out, the two men were gone.

* * *

Kuai stood on the solid wood of a dock, seeing the waves of the ocean move serenely below the walkway. He followed Liu Kang to the end of the dock where a sloped runway led up to a large wooden boat with multiple people waiting for the boat to depart.

The boat itself was made of old and worn-out wood. It had a single sail tied to the mast of the ship - looking suspiciously like papyrus paper.

As the two entered the boat, the cryomancer noted that these characters were very peculiar. Kuai saw a reptilian-looking creature and a humanoid with sharp teeth among the majority of humans that were on their way to the tournament. As Kuai and Liu Kang walked aboard, the runway of the ship was retracted as the anchor lifted, and the boat started to sail forward to its destination.

Kuai turned to look at the God of Fire. “Who are the warriors fighting for Earthrealm?”

Liu Kang smiled, tilting his head to one end of the ship. “Follow me,” he encouraged with a smile. He led Kuai to the bow of the ship where humans were standing in a collective group. They were a ragtag team at first appearance. Kuai saw a few military soldiers and a man dressed in a full suit with a loosened bowtie, who was flirting unabashedly with the blonde female soldier. A blindfolded man dressed in blood red and black had a katana strapped to his back. Standing next to him was a Native American with red face paint and a headdress adorned in feathers with a blue vest and jeans. Kuai frowned in concern at the small numbers of this group, remembering the large amounts of warriors on the other side of the boat.

Liu Kang stepped up to the group as Kuai stood back, nodding in greetings to the group. “You all understand why you are here, correct?” he asked.

“Yeah,” the man in the suit and sunglasses scoffed dismissively as he crossed his arms. “Because of some wild tournament that decides the fate of Earthrealm… whatever, man.”

“I'm only here to find my friend,” the blonde soldier spoke, crossing her arms. “Then we’ll see about saving Earthrealm.”

“You should be more concerned about the tournament,” the blind man spoke clearly. “This is important and _real._ This isn't one of your training missions,” he said, tilting his head pointedly to the female soldier, “or one of your movies,” he ended, addressing the man in the suit.

“Enough,” Liu Kang chided before a fight could break out. “Meet your newest member; this is Renegade. Renegade, meet Sonya Blade of the Special Forces, Johnny Cage the actor, Kurtis Stryker and Kabal of the Special Riot Control of the NYPD, the blind telepath and telekinetic warrior Takahashi Kenshi, and last but not least, the shaman Nightwolf of the Matoka Tribe.”

“The others in the back,” Kuai asked slowly, remembering the _much_ larger group of warriors, “those are the Outworld fighters?”

Liu Kang sighed heavily. “Yes,” he admitted, “but not _all_ of them will be fighting. The contenders will be Reptile, the last Saurian; Baraka the Tarkatan; Scorpion, the undead specter of Quan Chi; the two Lin Kuei, Sub-Zero and Sektor; Kano, the Black Dragon leader; and Shang Tsung himself on the island. I also know of additional fighters in Outworld - Ermac, the collection of multiple souls; Goro, the Shokan; and Emperor Shao Kahn as well as his wife and Queen, Empress Sindel. They also have a daughter - the Princess of Outworld - created as an experiment to crossbreed a Tarkatan with a human named Mileena.”

Kuai’s blood chilled, hearing the names. After all these years, would Bi-Han and Sektor recognize him? The scar on his face had long faded since then - it was nothing but a barely-noticeable, silver line. Still, Kuai resolved to wear the mask on his face at all times. He also knew that he should be more careful in using his cryomancy - he didn’t want to provide any more hints to his true identity than necessary.

“That’s twelve,” Kuai pointed out, trying to shake off the ghosts of his past as he turned to Liu Kang. “It’s double our current numbers.”

“Well,” Johnny said confidently as he cracked his knuckles, “they haven't dealt with someone like me, yet!”

Kuai internally groaned. _I can't believe I'm saying this, but I’d rather spend a full day with Erron Black than this guy._

He settled for crossing his arms and shooting Johnny a murderous glare.

The actor caught his look and immediately shut his mouth.

“I think you and I can get along,” Sonya joked with Kuai, jerking her head in a silent invitation to have him join the group. “even if you wear a mask. I’ve been trying forever to shut this idiot up.”

“What does wearing a mask have to do with anything?” one of the cops, Stryker, asked curiously.

“I don’t trust people in them,” Sonya explained bluntly. “They never have a good reason to wear one.”

“You said that there was someone on the island that you were looking for,” Kuai remembered from earlier, looking at Sonya. She nodded in reply, staring out toward the open sea. “His name is Jax - he’s also Special Forces and my work partner. He disappeared from work without a sign. Liu Kang came to me and told me that I could find him on this island.”

“Shang Tsung,” Kenshi growled under his breath. “That has the mark of that sorcerer all over it.”

“Sorcerer?” Johnny snorted. “What, like a ‘You’re a wizard, Harry!’ type-sorcerer?”

The others, for the most part, ignored him.

“Kano will also be there,” Nightwolf acknowledged as he frowned unhappily. “He and I have unfinished business.”

“I just want to avoid the Black Dragon in its entirety,” Kabal spoke in a tired voice. At Kuai’s confused look, he elaborated. “I used to work for the Black Dragon, but I had a change in heart and wanted to do something _good_ for once. I joined the NYPD to start making a positive impact - I never thought it would bring me to this, though,” he said jokingly.

Stryker clapped his partner on the back proudly. “This guy right here, he’s saved my life in the streets more times than I can count. I wouldn’t have anyone else watching my back.” Kabal grumbled as he pushed him away - still, there was a smile on his face.

“Kano had tried to turn me against my own tribe,” Nightwolf said with a hateful glare on his face. “He shot and killed me, but the Great Spirit came to me and brought me back from the dead to defend my tribe.”

“Well, get in line,” Sonya huffed. “That two-faced lying fucker acted as an informant for the Special Forces in our Black Dragon division. Turns out, he was giving us the slip and was the leader the whole time. We all fucking trusted him.”

Johnny looked between their bleak faces, trying to lighten up the atmosphere. “Come on; what’s with all the long faces? Chin up! Let’s focus on helping Sonya find her friend when we get there, and then work from there!”

At that moment, Liu Kang joined the Earthrealmers, nodding in a friendly greeting to them. His usual smile on his face was gone - replaced by a grim look. “We approach the island,” he said, nodding to the front of the ship and off to the distance. 

Kuai looked off to where Liu Kang had indicated, squinting through the fog as the boat continued to sail forward. Suddenly, the fog parted, and the island came into full view. Kuai’s eyes widened as he took in the massive size of the land, a sense of foreboding settling deep in his stomach as the boat slowly crawled closer and closer to its destination.

Liu Kang took a deep breath. “Prepare for Kombat. The tournament starts the second we step foot on the island.”


	6. The Tournament (Part 1)

**_Well, when you go,_ **

**_Don't ever think I'll make you try to stay._ **

**_And maybe when you get back,_ **

**_I'll be off to find another way._ **

**_And after all this time that you still owe,_ **

**_You're still the good-for-nothing, I don't know._ **

**_So take your gloves and get out;_ **

**_Better get out,_ **

**_While you can._ **

**\- My Chemical Romance, “I Don’t Love You”**

* * *

Kuai trailed behind the group as Liu Kang led them through the jungle path of the island toward the center of the landmass. The moon shining in the sky lit the way through the tropical forest, the rays of light permeating through the canopies of the trees.

The Outworlders were walking in front of the Earthrealmers - Kuai could see the back of his older brother’s head, and he shuddered, lowering his head to not be seen. While it was unlikely that Bi-Han would recognize Kuai in the grey outfit and mask, the cryomancer didn’t want to risk it. He still had the faded scar over his right eye which was placed by Bi-Han himself - maybe the Lin Kuei would recognize it.

Finally, the warriors came to the center of the island - the jungle trees had been cleared out for many square miles, making room for the arena they were standing on as well as a large temple in the background. To the side of the arena, there were separate courts for training. Kuai stood still on the sidelines of the arena, facing forward at the elderly man sitting on the stone throne overlooking the lined-up kombatants.

“Welcome!” the man spoke, rising in his chair as he swept his robe behind him dramatically. “You are here to compete in the Mortal Kombat tournament. Outworld has emerged victorious for the past nine tournaments; this tenth tournament will determine Earthrealm’s fate. You will compete against the warriors of the opposing realm, and should Earthrealm defeat all of Outworld’s champions, you will face me as the final challenge.”

Johnny snickered under his breath as he nudged Sonya. “He might as well hand me the first place medal right now.” He turned to the side, jumping slightly when he saw that Shang Tsung was now standing right next to him. “Wha -”

“Appearances can be deceiving, Mr. Cage. You will be the first opponent!” Shang Tsung announced as he floated back up to his throne, sitting down.

Johnny smirked confidently, walking to the arena as he started to trash-talk the others. “Who’s badass enough to take me?” he boasted.

“Reptile!” Shang Tsung snapped, silencing the actor as the Saurian leaped from the sidelines to the arena to face Johnny. He hissed menacingly, his forked tongue slithering through his cone-shaped teeth.

Johnny recoiled, the reality _finally_ settling in for the actor. “Man, you look ugly,” he winced, looking at Reptile as he got into a fighting stance. 

“Begin!” Shang Tsung called out.

Kuai watched with a critical eye as the fight commenced. He had his reservations about the cocky man from the beginning with his attitude, but he could see that Johnny was still a somewhat skillful fighter. He dodged the acidic spew from Reptile and drove his fists into the Saurian with such accuracy and preciseness that eventually overwhelmed the Saurian.

Johnny stood over the unconscious body of Reptile as the monks under Shang Tsung brought the fallen Outworlder away. The victory only made him more confident as he mocked the Outworlders and flirted with Sonya, who only wrinkled her nose in disgust. 

Shang Tsung was quick to call Johnny back to the arena, presenting Baraka as his next opponent. The Tarkatan growled viciously at Johnny, extending the arm blades as he held them in preparation to strike. 

Johnny smirked, making another joke about Baraka’s teeth before they started to fight. The actor stayed far away from the blades, only moving in when Baraka overextended. Kuai approved of this method - especially since Johnny didn’t have a weapon of his own to wield. Suddenly, the actor fell to the ground in a split to avoid the blades, winding up his right arm before driving his fist into Baraka’s groin, hard.

Kuai could hear groans of sympathy from Stryker and Kabal next to him, and even Nightwolf averted his eyes uncomfortably as Baraka howled in pain. _That was a cheap shot,_ Kuai thought in disapproval. _Still, whatever it takes to survive and win, I guess._

Shortly after the severe blow, Johnny was able to beat Baraka as well. He crowed triumphantly in his victory over the fallen kombatant, examining the arm blades in curiosity. Shang Tsung, with a displeased look on his face, called out for Johnny to finish Baraka - to kill him.

Johnny looked back to his friends on the sideline before looking back at Shang Tsung. “What, like… killing him? No way, man. I’m not a killer!”

Out of the corner of Kuai’s eye, he could see Bi-Han and Sektor. They were muttering under their breath to each other with displeased expressions on their faces - they were probably unhappy that Johnny had spared Baraka’s life. Disgusted by their views on the matter, Kuai started to turn away when something else caught his eye. 

As Shang Tsung called for the end of the tournament and the people started to disperse, Kuai saw the undead specter - Scorpion, Liu Kang said his name was. The warrior was staring directly at Kuai, fixing those blank, milky white eyes on the cryomancer. Kuai had to shrug off the uncomfortable feeling that he was feeling as a result of the eye-contact. Looking to the side, Kuai froze.

Standing right next to the hellspawn was a familiar figure. Staring closely, Kuai recognized the pale-faced man as the sorcerer that had killed the Shirai Ryu. Kuai felt his blood boil as he forced himself to take deep, measured breaths. It would do him no good to lash out in anger - perhaps, he would get his chance to kill the sorcerer in the tournament.

Kuai turned away to follow after Liu Kang to the large stone temple behind the arena. They climbed up a path of winding stairs to reach the entrance, walking inside through the large double doors. Inside was a large room with many rectangular tables. This was the dining area, with yet another stone throne at the very back of the room. To the right and left of the throne were the entrances to corridors. 

Liu Kang led the Earthrealmers to the left corridor, walking down the hallway with torches hanging on the stone walls. Finally, they came to a section of the corridor where there were doors on both walls of the hallways. 

“These are the bedrooms,” Liu Kang explained, gesturing to the doors. “They are all single-rooms, one for each of you. I will take my leave - Sonya and Johnny are in search of her friend, Jackson Briggs, and I must aid them.”

He disappeared in a flash of light and the cracking sound of thunder, leaving the other kombatants there. Kabal turned to the others, nodding satisfyingly. “Well, Johnny did a good job out there. He showed those Outworlders that we’re a force to be reckoned with.”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Kenshi cautioned. “There’s still more to come - we still face many more formidable warriors. There is Scorpion, the wraith, and the Lin Kuei.”

Stryker frowned in confusion. “What the fuck is a Lin Kuei?”

“An organization in Earthrealm that is - essentially - an assassins’ guild,” Kuai spoke before Kenshi could, making the blind swordsman look at Kuai in surprise. “They abduct children and raise them in the clan, training them to be warriors and killers for the clan. About a decade ago, they took the people in the clan and converted them to cyborgs. Those two people you saw there are the senior warriors who kept their humanity.”

Kabal whistled. “Wow, sounds pretty hardcore.”

“You seem to know a lot about the Lin Kuei,” Nightwolf noted, looking pointedly at Kuai. 

Before Kuai could think of a lie, the corridor was engulfed in a piercing light again, and Liu Kang had returned with Sonya and Johnny. An injured man was leaning between them, his arms slung over their shoulders. The Major gently lay the injured man against the wall in a sitting position while Liu Kang stepped forward, lightning crackling in his palms.

The god extended his glowing hands toward the man, and Kuai watched in astonishment as the wounds started to close. Before long, the unknown man was perfectly healthy again, looking at himself in wonder. “Thanks,” he said, looking up to Liu Kang, who nodded in turn.

“This is my partner,” Sonya introduced. “Lieutenant Jackson Briggs, although he prefers to be called ‘Jax’ for short. Johnny and I found him in the dungeons on the other side of the island. We also ran into Kano,” she said, locking eyes with Nightwolf and Kabal. “I fought a guy that threw ice at me, too. The sorcerer, Shang Tsung, was there. He said his name was Sub-Zero?”

Liu Kang nodded. “He is the Lin Kuei’s best warrior. He is a cryomancer, an individual with the ability to wield and control ice. You should all steer clear of the Lin Kuei, and Scorpion, for that matter. The hellspawn was raised from the dead after he was killed by Sub-Zero. Now, he is fueled by his rage. His own clan and family were wiped out, and he is on a path to wipe out the Lin Kuei in its entirety for revenge. He has an extremely unhealthy obsession with killing Sub-Zero.”

“This is some soap drama shit,” Johnny muttered under his breath.

“You never said that the Lin Kuei _was_ responsible for killing Scorpion’s clan,” Kenshi noted with interest.

Liu Kang sighed. “No. Sub-Zero _was_ responsible for killing Scorpion himself, but he had no idea and played no part in the clan’s destruction. In truth, the sorcerer that raised Scorpion from the dead - Quan Chi - killed his clan and continues to feed him lies. Sektor, the other Lin Kuei here, was responsible for ordering the hit on Scorpion’s clan, the Shirai Ryu.”

“Scorpion is of the Shirai Ryu clan?” Kuai just barely managed to say in his state of shock. Hope started to bleed in his chest.

Liu Kang nodded. “He used to be known as Hanzo Hasashi.”

 _No fucking way,_ Kuai thought as his heart stopped. He felt nothing but sympathy and pity for the man who thought that he had lost everything in the massacre of the Shirai Ryu. Kuai wondered if he had gone back to his clan after becoming Scorpion to see Hideo, Aiya, and Harumi lying in the house, dead. _No wonder he’s so pissed off,_ Kuai thought to himself, _even if he’s after the wrong person._

“You should all rest,” Liu Kang advised, breaking Kuai out of his thoughts. “Tomorrow will be a big day - there will be time to train in the mornings and the tournaments will be held at noon. Rest. You will need to be at your very best.”

With that, the god teleported away.

“Well, you all know who I am,” Jax spoke gruffly as he turned to face the others. “Do you mind introducin’ yourselves to me?”

Sonya pointed out the warriors and provided their respective names to the buff man while Kuai thought back to the revelation that Liu Kang had given him. _Hanzo Hasashi was Scorpion? Does he even know that his son still lives? As a rage-fueled spirit, would he even care if I told him? I must find a way to prevent him from killing Bi-Han, even if my older brother may deserve such a cruel fate._

After introductions had been made, the Earthrealmers entered their selected rooms, saying their temporary farewells to each other.

Kuai walked into his bedroom, shutting the door securely behind him as he locked it. Sighing, the cryomancer went to the bed, depositing his backpack on the blanket as he started to unpack. He removed the silver mask, placing it gently on the dresser top.

He placed his casual clothing - the soft t-shirts and jeans - in the drawers of the dresser, while the grey uniforms and the leather jacket were hung in the small closet. Kuai gently placed the frame of himself and Satoshi on the nightstand next to the bed. He changed into one set of his more comfortable clothing - a white cotton shirt and grey sweatpants - folding the grey uniform and placing it on the seat of the armchair in the corner of the room.

Kuai walked to the glass door behind curtains that led to the balcony, drawing back the shades to step outside. It was only a small rectangular standing area, but Kuai could see the abnormally bright stars glittering in the sky as he stared out to the island. He tilted his head back, taking in the beautiful night sky. _Satoshi would have loved this,_ he thought to himself. The stars didn’t appear often in the congested New York City sky.

Remembering the big day he had tomorrow, Kuai returned inside, shutting (and locking, just to be safe) the glass door. He crawled under the blanket as he lay still in the bed, staring out the glass door to the large, full moon that was gleaming back at him.

* * *

When Kuai opened his eyes again, he instinctively raised a hand to shield his eyes from the sunlight that was streaming in through the balcony door, wincing at the intensity of the brightness.

Groaning, Kuai sat up in the bed, throwing the covers off of his body as his legs dangled over the edge. He stood on the floors, not minding the freezing temperature of the wood below his feet as he made his way to the bathroom.

Kuai splashed cold water on his face to wake himself up before taking a shower. After drying himself with the surprisingly plush towel, he emerged from the bathroom in a simple grey shirt and dark blue jeans. Because he would only be training, Kuai didn’t want to ruin his dark grey uniform unless it was for the actual tournament. 

He passed by the dresser, reaching a hand to grab the silver mask out of repeated habit. In the past, he would have needed to wear the mask to be able to breathe in humid climates. However, now that he was older and more used to living in the heat, Kuai didn’t rely on the mask - it was just worn to hide his facial features. This was especially crucial since he needed to hide from his old Lin Kuei “comrades.”

However, Kuai also remembered that Scorpion was Hanzo Hasashi, the kind man who had given Kuai this mask. The cryomancer’s hands tightened around it, pondering his dilemma. If Hanzo - as Scorpion - recognized Kuai with the mask, then there was a high possibility that this revelation would reach the ears of Bi-Han and Sektor. While Kuai wanted desperately to reunite with the man that had been a part of his family, he knew that he couldn’t risk being found out.

Kuai held the mask in his hands as he pushed the door open and walked out into the hallway, seeing that Johnny, Stryker, and Kabal were there. They were engaged in conversation, but turned and looked at Kuai in surprise when he walked over to join them.

“Holy shit!” Kabal exclaimed in shock and surprise. “You’re like a fucking kid!”

Kuai scowled, making the cop shrink back. “I’m 24-years-old, asshole,” he snapped defensively.

“Get out of here!” Johnny said incredulously as he stared at Kuai. “I’m already fucking 32! You looked and sounded so much older with that mask on, you know.”

“What’s going on?” Sonya’s voice called out as she joined the group with Jax and Kenshi close on her heels. “Who’s older?”

“We were just commenting on how young Renegade is,” Stryker explained as he gestured to a flustered Kuai, who was crossing his arms.

“If I had known this was going to be such a big deal,” the cryomancer grumbled, “I would have just put on the damn thing.”

“I thought you were, like, 40,” Jax admitted sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck. 

“It’s a good look,” Sonya nodded appreciatively, reminding Kuai of her distrust of people wearing masks. She probably was happy that he had removed it so that she could gauge his expressions better.

“He’s 24!” Johnny pressed again. “Can you believe it? 24!”

“If you speak ONE MORE TIME,” Kuai ground out as he walked down the corridor toward the training yards, “I will shut you up.”

Kuai walked down the hallway until he reached the familiar sight of the dining hall. On the tables were various assortments of breakfast foods and snacks. Not intending to stay for a long time, Kuai strolled past the fruits, snatching a bright red apple on his way out of the temple doors.

The cryomancer used his powers to chill the fruit a little as he bit into the apple, walking into the small courtyard outside the temple. To the left, there was a set of winding stairs to lead down to the main area where the training courts were. Kuai didn’t want to go _anywhere_ until his identity issues were resolved. 

Kuai slumped in relief as he saw Liu Kang standing at the edge of the stairs. The god had his back turned toward Kuai, holding some sort of communications device in his hand. Kuai could see that there was a beautiful woman in the hologram dressed in flowing, royal blue robes with her hair put up into an elegant bun. Kuai waited until Liu Kang was done talking to her before the cryomancer took one step forward…

Liu Kang disappeared in a flash of blue light.

Kuai blinked, unable to believe his luck. He was starting to panic now, wondering where Liu Kang could have gone when the cracking sound of thunder sounded from right behind Kuai.

The cryomancer yelped, whirling around with wide eyes as Liu Kang winced apologetically, looking down at Kuai. “My sincerest apologies,” the god spoke sheepishly. “I realized that you were trying to gain my attention - I’m sorry for startling you.”

Kuai waved him off as he struggled to lower his heart rate, beginning to relay his issue. Liu Kang nodded in thought, absorbing Kuai’s words. With a snap of his fingers, there were now two black masks in the Fire God’s hands. He handed them to Kuai. “Hopefully, these will suffice. I also share your sentiments to keep away from the Lin Kuei; with luck, we may be able to avoid unnecessary conflicts with them.” 

He disappeared in yet another teleport after Kuai had thanked him briefly, leaving the cryomancer to fasten his new mask on his face. Kuai immediately felt a lot more comfortable with the mask on his face as he strode down the winding stone staircase to reach the training grounds below.

He walked quickly through an assembled group of Tarkatans who were huddled together. Kuai ignored their jeers and insults as he walked into the area set aside for the training courts. There were wooden dummies held upright onto posts for him to practice his jabs and strikes.

Kuai undid his mask to take one last hasty bite into the apple, throwing it across the yard to a garbage bin at the far corner - the half-eaten apple fell through the middle of the bin, falling to the bottom of the metal can with a dull thud. 

Now with both of his hands free, Kuai started to stretch before he did anything, loosening his muscles and making sure he had full range-of-motion. He knew that he was a lot more flexible than the majority of the other kombatants, both from Earthrealm and Outworld. He utilized this advantage in his fights, but it was sometimes tedious to stretch out beforehand.

When he had loosened himself up to the best of his ability, Kuai started to practice his strikes on one of the training dummies - while it would be better for him to spar with someone, this would have to suffice. He practiced his escape maneuvers and then rushed back forward to strike again, falling into a smooth rhythm. 

Kuai drove one last strike into the chest of the dummy as he paused, stepping back to examine the dents in the wood that he had made. He noted with satisfaction that the majority of the indents in the wood were located at spots that would be pressure points on a normal human.

He heard footsteps approaching from behind him, and Kuai whirled around defensively, holding his fists in front of him, standing firmly. He didn’t want to show his cryomancy to anyone here - he didn’t want to run the risk that he could be recognized.

With a great amount of dread, Kuai noted that it was Bi-Han and Sektor approaching Kuai, with Sektor applauding slowly. He made it seem like a sarcastic gesture, and Kuai had to resist the urge to curl his lip and snarl at them.

The memories of how Kuai had suffered under the hands of these two people were still fresh on his mind. The cryomancer had to fight the ice that was creeping up his arm in silent torment as he forced himself to stay as diplomatic as possible.

“That was impressive,” Sektor noted as Bi-Han stood still, impassively. 

Kuai ignored the empty praise, glaring in suspicion. “What do you want?” he snapped at the two Lin Kuei.

“We’re just here to sniff out the competition,” Sektor said slyly. Still, Bi-Han did not speak. “However, we also have a proposition for you, if you would like to hear it.”

When Kuai didn’t answer, Sektor continued. “The Lin Kuei could use someone with your talent and skill. You are a lot younger than we thought you were - you have a lot of years ahead of you. If you survive the tournament, you are welcome to come with us back to the clan.”

Kuai resisted the urge to laugh. Before, he had been the shunned child of the Lin Kuei. Now, they were desperate to employ him for their cause. The irony made him want to hurl. “I have much better things to do with my time,” he snapped, starting to turn away in clear dismissal.

Bi-Han suddenly reacted, his arm darting forward to wrap around Kuai’s wrist. Slowly, ice began to creep up Kuai’s arm from the point where his brother’s hand was tightened on his wrist. “You should reconsider,” he snarled in a menacing voice that brought back fearful childhood memories in Kuai, who ignored the ice.

Swallowing his fear, Kuai was sent back to a memory of an eerily similar situation he had found himself in as a child…

_“Can we stop, Bi-Han? I’m getting cold.”_

_“You’re a cryomancer,” Bi-Han snapped angrily as he continued to spar with Kuai. His hits were harsh and brutal as he refused to hold back. No one else was there to spectate the two brothers - Kuai didn’t understand why Bi-Han was continuing to hit as hard as he was._

_Suddenly, Bi-Han rushed at Kuai with a sudden burst of ferocity that made Kuai yelp with fear. Bi-Han held onto Kuai’s wrist, the grip burning._

_“Let go, Bi-Han!” Kuai cried out in pain. “It hurts!”_

_“It’s supposed to,” Bi-Han snarled as those black orbs fixated on Kuai’s shivering form. “Look at you; you’re so fucking pathetic! How are you supposed to be a warrior if you can’t handle the pain?”_

_“I don’t wanna be a fighter,” Kuai whimpered as he looked up into his older brother’s cruel face. “I just wanna go home. I wanna go home to mom!”_

_“Mom’s dead!” Bi-Han snapped as ice started to creep up Kuai’s arm. The young boy cried out in shock as it crawled up like a snake to encase his whole arm._

_Suddenly, Bi-Han drove his fist into Kuai’s stomach. The boy didn’t make a sound as the breath was forced out of his lungs; Kuai fell to the ground, the snow cushioning his fall. He would never forget Bi-Han’s face at that moment - there was so much hatred in his sneer that Kuai, for the first time in his life, was_ **_afraid_ ** _of him._

_“Out here,” Bi-Han said in a soft and dangerous tone, “the weak get killed while the strong rule the world. Wolves and sheep, Kuai. Wolves and sheep.”_

_With that, Bi-Han left Kuai in the snow as the young boy started to sob. It was that day that Kuai knew for certain that Bi-Han had died; he had been killed by the Lin Kuei and Sub-Zero._

Shaking the past from his mind, Kuai glared as he enabled the ice to creep up his arm, refusing to use his own cryomancy. “You should learn to take ‘no’ for an answer,” Kuai smirked back, snatching his arm away from his brother who didn’t know who Kuai was.

The outraged look that Bi-Han sent Kuai was enough to make Kuai's confidence falter. It frustrated him that his older brother still was able to command him with such fear.

“There you are, Sub-Zero!”

 _Oh no,_ Kuai thought to himself as he and the Lin Kuei turned to look at the newcomer.

Scorpion made his way across the training yard, pointing an accusatory finger at the two Lin Kuei as he ignored Kuai for now. “You and I have unfinished business,” the specter hissed.

Bi-Han stood up straighter, fixing Scorpion with scornful eyes. “It appears so,” he agreed. “Obviously, you did not stay dead the first time. I will ensure that you die this time around.”

“Crawl back to the Netherrealm and rot with your clan,” Sektor sneered. Kuai remembered that Sektor was the one who had ordered the hit on the Shirai Ryu; he felt his rage building in him but forced himself to stay level-headed. Lashing out - especially in this tense situation - would prove to be a fatal mistake.

“I will exterminate the Lin Kuei as the rats they are,” Scorpion hissed, his fists igniting in hellfire. Kuai took a hasty step back as Scorpion raised his right ignited fist up in the air threateningly. _Well, that’s new…_

Bi-Han only laughed mockingly. “The Shirai Ryu had that done to them, first,” he spat. “I look forward to our encounter when Shang Tsung inevitably pits the two of us against each other. I will enjoy ripping out your spine from your body a second time.”

With that, the two Lin Kuei strutted away, confident as peacocks with their tail feathers extended in full display. Kuai wasn’t sad to see them leave, but on the other hand, he was left with Scorpion.

Seeing the interaction between the… _thing…_ that had once been Hanzo and his old Lin Kuei “comrades” was upsetting to Kuai. He couldn’t recognize the grumpy Shirai Ryu warrior with the surprisingly funny sense of humor in Scorpion. This hellspawn was truly a stranger to him, and with the way that Scorpion was looking at Kuai, the cryomancer didn’t think that he recognized Kuai at all. 

“What did they want with you?” Scorpion demanded as he rounded on Kuai.

“They wanted me to join their shit clan,” the cryomancer replied truthfully, seeing no reason to lie. “It doesn’t matter, anyway. I rejected the offer.”

This seemed to please Scorpion - by “please,” it was more akin to “making him less angry.” The specter’s pale eyes settled on the spot where Bi-Han and Sektor had disappeared, his eyes narrowing into slits as he glared hatefully.

Kuai, remembering his efforts to try and reunite Hanzo with his son, spoke. “You are of the Shirai Ryu clan, right? Do you know if any survived? Were there any bodies mysteriously gone from the wreckage?”

“The majority of them had their flesh burned away,” Scorpion spat. “Thankfully, the fire stopped at my family’s house. I saw my father, mother, and wife dead in the house. Quan Chi told me that my son had perished in the fire.”

 _And you believed that fucker?!_ Kuai bit his tongue to prevent himself from saying anything brash.

“No one else was missing?” Kuai asked, wondering if Hanzo knew that he, _himself,_ was still alive.

Scorpion hesitated briefly before shaking his head. “No,” he said in a surprisingly gentle voice. “No one else.”

Kuai bit back the bitterness that rose in his throat. _Did Scorpion even remember him?_ “I’m sorry about your clan,” is what the cryomancer said, bowing slightly as he turned to walk away, hiding his face of disappointment from the specter.

He walked up the stone staircase, passing by the Earthrealm warriors on the stairs. “Hey, where are you going?” Johnny called out as they saw Kuai.

“I would be careful on the training grounds,” Kuai advised vaguely before elaborating further. “I was approached by the Lin Kuei and Scorpion. I think that hellspawn is still there.”

“We weren’t going to the training grounds,” Nightwolf spoke up, silently picking up on Kuai’s shaken appearance. “We know that the Outworlders are more likely to use that area. Sonya located a separate area of the island that we can train together in. Would you care to join us?”

* * *

Kuai knocked Stryker onto his back again, standing straight as he planted a foot on the cop’s heaving chest.

“Jesus, man,” Stryker panted as Kuai helped him up to his feet, “you’re so fucking fast.”

“It’s either be fast or be dead,” Kuai quipped, the joke slipping out of him unintentionally. _Wolves and sheep._ Kuai shook Bi-Han’s voice out of his mind angrily. Had his brother ever cared about him? Did he ever love him? Kuai felt resentment in his bones as his heart mourned the loss of a brother who absolutely despised him. 

With Hanzo becoming Scorpion, Kuai only had Satoshi left. Kuai had hoped that Hanzo would still be the same, but Hanzo was dead. Like Bi-Han had been killed by Sub-Zero with his callousness, Hanzo had been killed by Scorpion with his anger and rage. Kuai wished for a single, childish moment that he had a chance to say goodbye to Hanzo before he was killed. 

Stryker caught the joke, grinning in surprise to bring Kuai back to the present. “Hey, he’s got a funny bone!” he called out to the others.

“Why don’t you focus on putting him on the ground for once?” Sonya called out as she flipped Johnny to the ground, the actor landing with an audible “oomph” of shock.

“You’re welcome to try,” Stryker huffed defensively as he stepped to the side, making room for Sonya to approach him.

Sonya smirked, stepping forward confidently at the voiced challenge. Kuai got into his fighting stance; he saw that the Major was more skilled than Stryker or Johnny, but he was confident that he could beat her.

Soon enough, after a few jabs that tested the waters from either fighter, Kuai darted forward and had Sonya on her back in two seconds. The blonde blinked, frowning as she realized that she had been beaten. “Damn - you do move fast,” she grumbled.

Kuai helped her back onto her feet as he turned to the side. Liu Kang was standing at the side, observing the warriors’ progress. He nodded once at Kuai Liang, beckoning with his head to the side in a silent invitation for Kuai to follow after the god.

The cryomancer followed after the Fire God, walking through the jungle until the sounds of the Earthrealmers fighting dimmed in the background.

“Remember when I said that I have already experienced the events of the tournament?” Liu Kang questioned.

When Kuai nodded silently, the god continued. “It seems as though the events progressing are continuing as normal,” he said. “The events involving the other warriors are all the same, except when it comes to you. After this tournament, there will be another one proposed by Shao Kahn. If Outworld wins this second tournament, they will merge with Earthrealm. However, if Earthrealm wins, then Outworld will not be able to merge with Earthrealm. There will be no need for more tournaments.”

“Did you win?” Kuai asked curiously. 

“We did,” Liu Kang nodded. “However, Shao Kahn invaded Earthrealm; invasion did not conflict with the rules of merging realms, so it was permitted. It was only after he killed the majority of the Earthrealm defenders and merged the realms when the Elder Gods intervened. I plan to prevent this from happening by changing the rules of the second tournament. I will prevent Outworld from invading Earthrealm and merging the realms. Hopefully, this will prevent Shao Kahn earlier. With the Elder Gods as my close friends, we are ready to stop Shao Kahn earlier to prevent unnecessary deaths.”

“Why are you telling me this?” Kuai asked. “Why not tell the others?”

“I am afraid that by telling too many people, the course of future events will be thrown into disarray,” Liu Kang admitted, “and thus change the outcome of the tournaments. I am only telling you because - unlike the others - you lived a different life than your previous self. At the end of the tournament, you will have to beat Shang Tsung, Ermac, and Shao Kahn. They are not enemies to take lightly. As Earthrealm’s champion, you have a difficult path ahead of you. Which is why I wanted to give you this.”

Liu Kang held a circular, silver artifact in his hands. “I stole this from the Lin Kuei, the clan that you were raised in,” he explained as Kuai took it in his hands, examining the silver dragon in the center of the circle. “The version of you that I knew from the past wore this in battle. It is the Dragon Medallion - an artifact that enhances your powers and strengthens them. The current Grandmaster of the Lin Kuei does not understand its full capabilities - only you were able to unlock its full potential. The Medallion chooses who is worthy of wielding it - the fact that it has not rejected you is a sign.”

“What would happen if I was unworthy?” Kuai asked, tearing his gaze from the Medallion to look up at Liu Kang.

“Your powers would have turned on you,” Liu Kang answered. “encasing you in your own ice. It would have happened the second you held it in your hands. It has chosen you, Kuai Liang. Tell me, have Sub-Zero and Sektor approached you with the offer of returning to the Lin Kuei.”

“They did,” Kuai nodded as he pocketed the Medallion securely in his pocket. “Why?”

“I would suggest that you consider their offer,” Liu Kang said slowly, “but take it in a different context. When the tournament is over, I will aid you in your quest to eradicate the Lin Kuei. We will drive out the Grandmaster and his clan of cyborg machines. Once the slate has been wiped clean, I will help you to restart the Lin Kuei. You can lead a new clan, one that serves the protection of Earthrealm.”

“I don’t want to continue doing this,” Kuai protested. “I don’t want anything to do with the Lin Kuei, anymore. I just want to live my life with Satoshi and raise him in a normal setting. He doesn’t need the anxiety of anticipating an attack in the Lin Kuei walls every day. Besides, my friend - Tomas - is one of those cyborgs. Would you have me kill him, too?”

“If you incapacitate Tomas,” Liu Kang spoke firmly, “I can restore him to his human form. Furthermore, if you are concerned about Satoshi coming to harm in the Lin Kuei, he can continue to live in New York under my supervision. Earthrealm faces many threats daily - the tournament and Outworld is only one of these many threats. It needs you, Kuai Liang. It needs your protection, as does Satoshi. If you agree to this, you will still be able to visit your nephew whenever you desire.”

Kuai hesitated, thinking over the god’s offer. He wanted to just run away with Satoshi and live in complete ignorance of the events that were going on, but he had been dragged into this mess and could not turn away. He finally relented, shutting his eyes tight as he nodded once. “I will do as you say,” he finally said. 

“Thank you, Kuai Liang,” Liu Kang bowed to him respectfully. “I will ensure that no harm comes to your nephew. Now, follow me. The tournament is about to commence - I will bring you back to your room so that you can prepare for the fights.”


	7. Tournament (Part 2)

**_I wish I could believe you’d never wrong me_ **

**_Then will you remember me in the same way,_ **

**_As I remember you?_ **

**\- Panic! at the Disco, “House of Memories”**

* * *

Kuai stood on the side of the arena next to the Earthrealmer fighters, his nerves making his body tense up. He forced himself to relax as he breathed slowly through his silver mask, shining brighter than the dark grey clothing gear he was wearing. The Medallion pinned to his chest was a comfortable feeling - it had given Kuai a rush of energy when he attached it to his chest. Shang Tsung took his seat on his throne, looking out at the kombatants.

“Today, Scorpion will fight!” the sorcerer declared in a loud, raspy voice.

In a whirlwind of fire and flame, Scorpion teleported to the center of the arena, looking at the contenders in a challenge. He glared heavily at Sub-Zero, who returned the look with one of scorn.

“This is looking good for us,” Liu Kang whispered to the Earthrealmers. “Reptile and Baraka were eliminated from the tournament by Johnny, and Kano was eliminated from the tournament by Sonya. That leaves Scorpion, the Lin Kuei, Ermac, Goro, and Shang Tsung. We have the advantage, right now.”

“Let me face Sub-Zero!” Scorpion growled at Shang Tsung. “He killed my family and clan; he will suffer in the Netherrealm!”

“First,” Shang Tsung held up a hand to silence the hellspawn, “you will face Nightwolf!”

The shaman entered the arena, receiving encouragement from his allies as he faced Scorpion. “Your anger blinds you,” Nightwolf advised Scorpion in a word of caution. “Your anger is misplaced - you seek the wrong man for revenge.”

“If Sub-Zero didn’t kill my clan and family, then who did?” Scorpion hissed.

“He lies, Scorpion,” Quan Chi called out in his sickeningly sweet voice. Kuai’s fists clenched as he willed himself to stay still. “He means to distract you from the fight.”

At Shang Tsung’s command, the warriors leaped into battle at each other. Kuai watched in horrific fascination as Scorpion produced a kunai. He threw the head at Nightwolf - the point buried itself in his shoulder - with a battle cry of “Get Over Here!”, Scorpion yanked the Native American toward him, leaving him vulnerable to attack.

Kuai held his breath as he saw the flames appear on Scorpion’s hands as the specter punched Nightwolf in the face and chest, severely burning the exposed skin. Nightwolf was able to break away, and while he put up an impressive fight with glowing green weapons, the kunai thrown by Scorpion had done its job in weakening him.

Before long, Scorpion had been crowned the victor of the fight, leaving Nightwolf to limp back to the group.

“You did the best you could,” Kuai encouraged. He brought up his hands, chilling them slightly as he cooled the burnt areas on the shaman’s skin.

Nightwolf’s head jerked up to look at Kuai in surprise. Kuai realized too late that he had used his powers in front of him, but there was nothing he could do about it, now.

The shaman quickly walked away to the others - who had not seen the cryomancy. They reassured the shaman comfortingly as he nodded gratefully to them. Meanwhile, Scorpion turned to face Shang Tsung again, demanding that he fight Sub-Zero. Instead, the sorcerer called out for Johnny to step into the arena.

While the actor put up a better fight than Nightwolf had - managing to dodge the kunai - he was still no match for the experienced Shirai Ryu warrior, and also suffered the same outcome as Nightwolf had. He lay on the ground, groaning in pain as he clutched his upper arm where one of Scorpion’s swords had been driven into the flesh.

Liu Kang and Sonya rushed to his side as they helped to carry him out of the arena, the Fire God tending to Johnny’s wounds as he had done for Nightwolf. 

Still, Scorpion pressed for his fight with Sub-Zero. “You tire me with these pitiful challengers, sorcerer!” Scorpion hissed. “I demand to fight Sub-Zero!”

“Peace, Scorpion!” Quan Chi spoke firmly.

Sickeningly, Kuai watched as Scorpion did as his sorcerer master commanded of him. This was not the proud Hanzo Hasashi he knew - this was only a poor copy of the man who refused to bow down to anyone. Kuai swallowed the revulsion rising in his throat as Shang Tsung dismissed Scorpion, calling Sektor forward to fight.

“Hmm…” Shang Tsung mused aloud as he scanned the Earthrealmers for a viable opponent to face the red-garbed Lin Kuei. “How about… Renegade!”

Kuai walked to the arena to face Sektor, getting into his fighting stance as he stared down the arrogant son of the Grandmaster.

Sektor smirked smugly, getting into his stance. “This will end quickly,” he said confidently. “You are good, but you are no match for a Lin Kuei warrior.”

 _Time to shut him the fuck up,_ Kuai thought to himself.

As Shang Tsung signaled the start of the fight, Sektor rushed at Kuai with the recklessness that the cryomancer knew was common of the man. Kuai dodged to the right, feeling the air shift as Sektor’s fist drove past Kuai’s head. The cryomancer grabbed Sektor’s wrist with his left hand, using his right hand to drive the heel of his palm under the extended arm. Kuai immediately let go when he felt the bone snap, immobilizing the Lin Kuei warrior’s right arm.

Sektor let out an exclamation of pain, whirling around to face Kuai, who had darted around him. From the throne, Shang Tsung leaned forward with interest as Sektor charged again. Kuai dashed forward with impressive speed, ramming his shoulder into the red-clad Lin Kuei’s chest. Sektor stumbled from the blow as Kuai rushed forward, throwing unpredictable hits at his head, chest, and legs. Sektor struggled in vain to block the strikes.

After suffering many harsh blows, Sektor fell back and out of reach of Kuai’s strikes. As he fell out of range, Kuai took a step back to anticipate the man’s next attack. Suddenly, Sektor pointed the nozzle of his flamethrower on his wrist at Kuai’s direction, letting loose a jet of flame.

Reacting instantaneously, Kuai pulled off an impressive evasive maneuver - three consecutive backward handsprings in quick succession as he quickly got out-of-range of the flames.

As the flamethrower died out, sooner than Sektor had been expecting, he spared a moment to look down at the device in confusion and irritation.

This proved to be his fatal mistake - Kuai rushed at him, jumping high in the air as he curled his body into a ball. As he was falling down, Kuai unwound his body, sticking his right leg out as it connected with Sektor’s face on the downward trajectory.

The Lin Kuei fell to the ground, unconscious from the spinning kick. 

There was silence from the spectators and crowd as Kuai landed on the ground in a crouched position. He got back onto his feet and walked over to the fallen opponent, looking down at Sektor with disgust. “Well,” he said to Sektor’s unconscious form, “that ended quickly,” he spat the Lin Kuei’s words back to him.

Suddenly, in the silence, Johnny started to clap appreciatively. “WOO!” he hollered in celebration. “Way to go, Ren!”

Slowly, smiles started to appear on his comrade’s faces, and they all started to join Johnny in applauding. Scowling, Shang Tsung stood up, silencing their cheers. “Now, Renegade, you face Sub-Zero, the best warrior that the Lin Kuei has to offer!”

Kuai Liang steadied himself as he faced his older brother, who was looking at him with cold, calculating eyes. Kuai knew that this was a bad sign - it meant that Bi-Han would be giving his all to the fight.

Bi-Han threw a ball of ice at Kuai, who somersaulted out of the way, letting his flexibility dictate the flow of this fight. He knew that Bi-Han was an aggressive fighter and preferred to fight in close quarters, so he was ready when the older cryomancer rushed at Kuai. Still, Kuai refused to use his cryomancy - he feared that the Lin Kuei would recognize him if he did.

They landed blows that were perfectly blocked by the other. Slowly, as neither one of them had landed a hit yet, Bi-Han became more and more frustrated while Kuai became more determined to win. They had been exchanging blows in this manner for a good three minutes - neither one gaining the upper hand. Suddenly, when Bi-Han’s frustration caused him to overextend and lash out recklessly, Kuai took his chance. He dodged the strike, locking the extended arm with his folded left elbow as he drove his fist to the underside of Bi-Han’s jaw.

The harsh blow sent Bi-Han stumbling backward as he quickly recovered, glaring at his younger brother (he didn’t even know it _was_ Kuai). Kuai knew that he could have ended this a long time ago with his superior cryomancy and agility - he knew that he was more advanced in his cryomancy than Bi-Han, who had remained complacent with his ability to throw iceballs and slide across the floor. Kuai had something that his older brother didn’t have - imagination. 

As Bi-Han gauged Kuai for weak spots, Kuai let the knife tucked under his sleeve slide down, hiding it from view. When Bi-Han rushed him again, Kuai swiped the blade viciously as he whirled away.

The blade had gashed a long cut across Bi-Han’s nose and cheek, the red blood starting to pour profusely down his face. He snarled angrily, now being pushed back by Kuai. 

Now, Bi-Han was on the defensive as Kuai swung with his weapon. One of the reasons why Bi-Han was such a talented aggressive fighter was because he wasn’t as strong defensively. He barely dodged the strikes as Kuai pushed forward. Finally, Kuai impaled the knife through Bi-Han’s right shoulder, avoiding any major organs.

It did the trick; now, Bi-Han’s right arm was immobilized, and Kuai discarded the knife to land three successive punches on Bi-Han’s face with his fist. Finally, Bi-Han fell to his knees, unable to get up after ten seconds.

“Renegade wins!” Shang Tsung declared sourly as he stood up. “The tournament will commence at night!” he announced and departed angrily.

Seeing that the tournament was over for the day, the Earthrealmers stormed the arena as they surrounded Kuai, clapping him on the back roughly in congratulations. He was led back to the temple with them, leaving his brother behind.

Meanwhile, while the Earthrealmers went back to the dorms to celebrate, Liu Kang turned to Scorpion, who was staring as an awakened Sektor helped Bi-Han walk away from the arena. Liu Kang made his way to Scorpion, talking to the specter now that Quan Chi was nowhere to be seen.

“As Nightwolf said,” Liu Kang started, “while Sub-Zero was responsible for _your_ death, he had no part in the destruction of the Shirai Ryu.”

“Then who?” Scorpion growled irritably. “If it wasn’t Sub-Zero, then who would it be? Why would Quan Chi tell me otherwise?”

“Quan Chi is a lying snake who showers words of deceit,” Liu Kang told him bluntly. “He was the one responsible for killing the Shirai Ryu under the employment of Sektor. Sub-Zero and the other Lin Kuei had no hand in your clan’s untimely demise.”

“You lie,” Scorpion hissed, raising a flaming finger at Liu Kang, who stared at him with an unimpressed look. “Why would Quan Chi bring me back from the dead, if not to help me gain my revenge?”

“He seeks to use you as a henchman,” Liu Kang spoke firmly. “He points you in the direction of people to kill, and once they are finished, he raises them from the dead to act as his puppets - just as you are.”

Scorpion snarled, stalking away as he dismissed the god’s words. Liu Kang looked as he left, a sad look on his face as he sighed. The Fire God looked up to the sky, shutting his eyes softly. 

“I’m sorry, Harumi,” he said quietly in the empty arena. “I tried my best. Now, there is no changing the future; he’ll break the hearts of the only living family he has left.”

* * *

Kuai was sitting at a single wooden table in the dining hall amongst the other Earthrealmers as they laughed with each other, with Stryker telling a wild story from his life before the tournament.

“You didn’t tell us that you were a cryomancer,” Sonya suddenly pointed out accusingly when Stryker was done. 

Kuai froze. Nightwolf had told them.

“With your interaction with Sub-Zero,” Kuai started defensively, “I didn’t want you to get the wrong idea or to have you remain suspicious of me. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier.”

“Come to think of it,” Jax pointed out as he took Sonya’s side, “we’ve been here telling our life’s stories with each other, and you’re the only one who hasn’t said anything. Hell, even Kenshi told us his story!”

It was true, the blind swordsman had described the heart-wrenching tale of a younger, foolish version of him that had trusted Shang Tsung as the sorcerer led him astray. He described the event that had taken his vision and how he had obtained Sento, the enchanted katana with the souls of his ancestors.

“Come on, Frosty,” Johnny encouraged. “Give us something to work with!”

“Forget it,” Kuai snapped defensively as he stood up suddenly from the table. He had spent his whole life in hiding, opening up to these people was something that he couldn’t risk. Not opening up was the only reason that he was alive. 

“We’ve all opened up,” Sonya pressed with her arms crossed, “the least you could do is return the favor!”

“I am a cryomancer named Kuai Liang,” he snapped as he turned away to leave, “and that’s the only thing you need to know.”

Kuai stormed out of the dining hall and went outside, letting the cool evening air ruffle through his hair. The sun was beginning to set in the distance; Kuai walked over to a fragile-looking bridge, leaning his forearms on the ropes to stare up at the orange-and-pink sky.

The cryomancer’s mind had the chance to absorb everything that had happened to him that day; Bi-Han’s cruelty, Scorpion’s behavior - it was all too much. Kuai bent his head as he lifted his hands to wrap around the back of his own neck. Kuai took deep breaths to steady his unstable state - he was jostled from his moment of peace alone when he could hear footsteps approaching him.

Kuai looked up, frowning when he saw Kenshi walking toward him. The blind swordsman smiled apologetically, nodding in greeting. “Your mind is in a turbulent state, my friend,” he spoke slowly. “What is plaguing your thoughts?”

“Don’t you know by now?” Kuai snapped. “You’re the telepath; figure it out.”

Kenshi huffed amusedly as he stood next to Kuai, copying his stance to lean against the ropes. “It always takes a little bit for me to break into people’s minds,” the telepath confessed, tilting his head down to the bottom of the bridge where the spikes jutted up. “A lot of people died here.”

“You still manage to break through, anyway,” Kuai muttered, ignoring the urge to look down at the bottom of the Pit. He didn’t need another depressing image to accompany his thoughts.

“Your mind is different,” Kenshi noted, looking up toward the sky. “It’s like a maze; there are so many twists and turns - false paths and dead ends. I will admit, I did try to read you. But I got lost so many times; I could only pick up on emotions.”

“What did you get, then?” Kuai snapped defensively, a little bit of his curiosity piquing.

“I gather that there was some kind of traumatic experience with a maze,” Kenshi said slowly. “It's where you store all of your dark memories and thoughts. What happened?"

_Kuai was sobbing, the tears streaming down his face as he stumbled through the snow. The falling flurries were obscuring his vision, making it nearly impossible to see anything. His only comfort was the glowing torches hung high up on the white hedges of the winding pathways._

_It had been yet another training session with Bi-Han; he had taken Kuai out of the Lin Kuei territory. Kuai, who was seven at the time, had been excited. He thought that he and Bi-Han were going out for a rare treat - they could go to a fair, or maybe even a zoo! But instead, his older brother had driven them here - a wintry maze in the middle of a blizzard. He had led Kuai to the middle of the maze and told him this:_

_"You have an hour to find the exit. If you don't come out by then, I'm leaving you here."_

_With that blunt order, Bi-Han had left Kuai there. The young boy had tried to run after his older brother to keep up with him, but through the blizzard, Kuai had lost him. The falling snow had covered up Bi-Han's tracks, making it impossible for Kuai to find his way out._

_"Bi-Han!" Kuai called out as the wind howled mercilessly, cutting into his face. The boy sniffled, wiping his nose with his sleeve. "Bi-Han! Where are you! I'm scared!"_

_He received no response._

_Kuai fell to his knees in the snow, whimpering in fear as he lay on his side. He curled into a ball on the ground, clutching his knees close to his chest as he shivered slightly. He shut his eyes tightly, trying to wake up from this horrible nightmare that had been turned into his reality._

_He had spent the entire night there._

_When Bi-Han came back the next day, he found Kuai in the same spot, lying on the ground in the middle of the maze. "Why are you so fucking useless?" he snarled, kicking Kuai harshly in the back before he yanked the younger brother onto his feet. "If the Grandmaster didn't require another cryomancer, I would have just left you here, you incompetent waste of a life!"_

_Kuai flinched with every insult that Bi-Han made as he dragged Kuai out of the maze and shoved him into the car. The harsh words continued to fall out of Bi-Han's mouth as they drove back to the temple._

_It was at that moment that Kuai realized something; he would much rather spend the rest of his life in that harsh maze than listen to Bi-Han snap at him for a single minute._

Kenshi pursed his lips. "Who was the man that left you there?" There was a surprising amount of anger in his voice that startled Kuai.

"No one," Kuai responded, shaking his head to push aside the memory. "What else did you pick up from my mind?"

"All of your happiest memories are easy to access. They're not in the maze, like the other memories are - I saw a young boy and a family. Satoshi, right?”

After getting a nod from Kuai, who knew that Kenshi could sense his gesture, the telepath continued. “There’s not a lot of happy memories for you,” Kenshi noted. “The few memories I had access to were recent - meaning that your childhood must have been rough. I could sense that those dark memories were deep inside the maze, at the very center. Over the years, you’ve taken those memories and suppressed them - instead of creating a wall to block them out, you created a maze. It hides the truth from me - your secrets are safe, for now.”

“I didn’t mean to snap back there,” Kuai sighed, shutting his eyes tightly. “I’m… running from my past. I’ve learned to not trust people - opening up isn’t easy for me. It’s the only thing that’s kept me alive.”

Kenshi hummed sympathetically. “I’m very sorry to hear that.”

Then, “Who’s Bi-Han?”

Kuai turned abruptly to face Kenshi, who raised his hands in a surrendering gesture. “There was one memory from your childhood that I had access to, but it was blurry. You were only a child, and this Bi-Han person was holding you. He said that he would protect you with his life - he promised. Then, it shifted to a more… bittersweet feeling.”

_“I’m going to look after you,” a much younger Bi-Han had told Kuai when they were in their rooms at the Lin Kuei. They had been taken from their mother, and Kuai - too afraid of his new situation - was crying. He clutched onto Bi-Han as the tears soaked into his older brother’s shirt._

_“No one’s going to hurt you,” Bi-Han murmured softly as he rubbed Kuai’s back._ **_“I promise.”_ **

“Bi-Han’s dead,” Kuai stated bluntly, turning away to face the sunset. “He died with my mother when I was five.”

“That’s not the full truth,” Kenshi pointed out, peering at Kuai.

The cryomancer sighed, shifting his stance slightly. “Bi-Han… he’s Sub-Zero.”

Kenshi’s eyebrows lifted on his face. “... Wow. Okay; I didn’t see that coming.”

Kuai huffed, shaking his head. “I was once a Lin Kuei assassin. I - along with my brother - had been abducted from my parents when I was a toddler. I was raised in the Lin Kuei and taught to fight. I became a child warrior. I would have grown up to be like them - cold and callous - had it not been for a friend that joined the Lin Kuei. His name was Tomas, he was five when he joined, which happened to be my age at the time. We formed a close bond of friendship, and he taught me the values of love and family - things that were forbidden in the Lin Kuei.”

Kenshi nodded in thought. “Then the cyberization happened.”

Kuai took a shuddering breath, nodding tightly. Now that Kenshi had laid the opening invitation for Kuai to speak about his past, the words were falling out of his mouth in a stream. “Only the senior warriors - Sub-Zero and Sektor - remained human. I saw Tomas get converted into a machine,” Kuai said, his voice becoming quiet with grief. “We had made plans to escape together, but he didn’t survive long enough for us to do it together.”

“So you were alone,” Kenshi completed the thought. “How did you escape?”

“I escaped in the middle of the night and ran for a full day. I was twelve-years-old. Soon, I found myself in Shirai Ryu territory.”

“Shirai Ryu?” Kenshi perked up. “The clan that Scorpion came from?”

Kuai nodded in response. “The same one. They didn’t trust me at first, because I was wearing Lin Kuei colors, but the General of the clan - a kind man named Hideo Hasashi - convinced the village to accept me. Hanzo Hasashi, Scorpion, confirmed that I was telling the truth. I lived in the Shirai Ryu as one of them.”

“But the clan was wiped out,” Kenshi remembered, speaking in a muted voice.

“On my eighteenth birthday,” Kuai confirmed quietly. “The General adopted me into his family. I became his son - I felt safe and loved, for the first time in my life. Then, on my birthday, Quan Chi led an attack on the village. We didn’t hear it - the majority of the people were sleeping in their beds. I figured out what was going on before I was too late to save anyone. I only was able to escape with Satoshi. He’s Scorpion’s son.”

Kuai turned away from Kenshi and looked out to the rest of the island. The lush forestry reminded Kuai of the garden in Hideo's house, along with the plumeria tree he had planted. The plumeria flowers had represented new beginnings, but that new beginning had never come around for Kuai, had it? He had fled from two different clans - two different families - and stayed in hiding with Satoshi for the majority of his life. 

“I take it that Scorpion doesn’t know about Satoshi,” Kenshi surmised.

“He thinks that everyone died in the massacre,” Kuai explained. “I tried to tell him, but he was so wrapped up in the thoughts of revenge. I barely recognize him, anymore. He’s a completely different person, now.”

“No wonder you look like you’re going to run toward the ocean and swim away at any moment,” Kenshi noted, smirking slightly to relax Kuai.

“After Satoshi and I fled from the ruins of the clan, I became a mercenary to earn money to support the two of us,” Kuai continued. “Eventually, I earned enough to obtain passports and plane tickets for us to fly to the United States, where we have been living in New York since. I still am a mercenary, but I’m a mercenary with rules. I only kill the mob bosses, mafia leaders, and kingpins - the people who deserve to be put down. I’ve put Satoshi through school, and he’s studying to hopefully lead a normal life.”

“You sound like you care for him,” Kenshi analyzed. “From what it sounds like, you’ve done a really good job taking care of him.”

“I’ve tried my best,” Kuai said, leaning back to stand up a little straighter. “I wish I could make things easier for him, but I can’t take all the pain away.” 

The two of them looked out to the sunset with somber expressions on their faces. "You've come a long way," Kenshi spoke slowly. "I'm sure that your adoptive parents would be proud of you, as well as Satoshi's mother."

"I should have done more," Kuai spoke softly, looking down at his clenched hands. Kenshi placed a hand on Kuai's shoulder. "You did what you could - you saved Satoshi so that you could carry on the memories of the people you loved. There is no shame in that." 

Kenshi turned to face the temple where the other kombatants were. “I have the ability to tell the others, now,” Kenshi said softly. “If you want, I can tell them so that you don’t have to. If you don’t want me to say anything, then I won’t. You just need to give me the word.”

Kuai sighed with this new dilemma on his hands. While every survival instinct in his body told him not to, the cryomancer understood the importance of having people to rely on and trust. Wringing his hands - a habit from his childhood that Kuai couldn’t seem to shake off - Kuai nodded at Kenshi silently, turning to look up at the sun as Kenshi walked away.

“Thank you for opening up to me,” Kenshi spoke genuinely as he walked away, leaving Kuai to reminisce on old, haunting memories.

* * *

Before the tournament could continue, the kombatants from both realms were eating dinner first - separated by realm on each side of the room.

Kuai sat with the other Earthrealmers in his casual clothing - he was made aware that he wouldn’t be participating in any more fights that day, so he dressed in his favorite outfit. He wore a plain light grey t-shirt with his black leather bulletproof jacket and dark blue tattered jeans. He felt comfortable in his favorite jacket - the bulletproof aspect of it reassured him that he wouldn’t be vulnerable to attack with his back to the Outworlders as he ate his dinner.

Sonya placed her fork down as she studied Kuai. “I’m sorry for pushing you to share,” she spoke genuinely. “I realized that I can be pushy at times - I’m sorry for opening up old wounds.”

“It’s fine,” Kuai reassured her and the others, taking in their guilt-ridden faces. “I shouldn’t be as closed-off from other people as I am. I guess we both learned something, right?”

Sonya huffed, a small smile on her face as she nodded begrudgingly. “I guess so,” she responded as the table adopted a more comfortable atmosphere.

“The Lin Kuei are glaring daggers at your back, man,” Kabal whispered under his breath so that only the Earthrealmers could hear. 

“I’m pretty sure they want to put _actual_ daggers in my back,” Kuai whispered back.

Risking a look behind him, Kuai turned to see Bi-Han scowling fiercely whilst Sektor had his jaw clenched tightly. Both Lin Kuei were glaring spitefully at Kuai and didn’t relent in their looks when Kuai turned to look at them. 

Kuai noted that their wounds had been miraculously healed - he supposed it was the doing of either Shang Tsung or Quan Chi since the two Lin Kuei would be fighting against Scorpion in an exhibition match after dinner.

Speaking of the hellspawn, Kuai didn’t see him at the table. The cryomancer wasn’t too surprised by this; he knew that the undead had no reason to consume food or undergo other “trivial human things.” Ignoring the glares of his older brother and his childhood bully, Kuai turned back in his seat to face his friends again, returning to his plate.

“You don’t have to watch this fight,” Kenshi muttered under his breath so that only the Earthrealmers could hear his words, “No matter who wins, you lose either way. Only one person is making it out of the fight alive. You don’t have to stay here and hurt yourself.”

“I can’t turn my back on family,” Kuai sighed, the cold mist rising from behind his mask. Luckily, the Outworlders hadn’t seen it. 

Once all the kombatants were all done eating and the plates had been cleared away, the Earthrealmers stood off to the side as the Outworlders followed suit. Suddenly, the tables disappeared, vanishing from view and leaving a cloud of neon green mist in their wake.

Shang Tsung strolled through the middle doors of the temple, walking between the lined up Earthrealmers on the left and the Outworlders on the right as the sorcerer walked straight to his throne, sitting down in the seat.

“Tonight, we have a special treat,” Shang Tsung said in a pleased voice. “Scorpion, the last Shirai Ryu warrior, fights the two Lin Kuei warriors who were responsible for the slaughter of his people. The Lin Kuei have been restored to their full health, thanks to Quan Chi. First, it will be Scorpion versus Sektor!”

Scorpion appeared in the cleared-out dining hall with a rush of hellfire, glowering angrily at Sektor, who was standing before the specter in the empty space. Kuai held his breath as he stood a safe distance away from the two warriors. At Shang Tsung’s signal, they charged at each other in their respective states of fury and outrage, dealing horrific blows on the other.

Whereas the other fights had an unspoken rule of professionalism and respect associated with them, they fought with no holds barred. The two warriors didn’t hesitate to make cheap shots to gain the upper hand. Blood spilled onto the floor - Kuai couldn’t make out whose it was - as both of the fighters were injured. 

Suddenly, with a roar, Scorpion quickly unraveled his kunai, throwing the spearhead at Sektor with such speed and ferocity that it not only pierced the man’s left shoulder but exited through to the other side.

Kuai’s breath hitched in his throat as Scorpion reeled his opponent in viciously, burning Sektor with his hellfire as the man screamed in agony.

When the fire had died down, the Lin Kuei was nearly unrecognizable - his skin had been peeled back and was raw with a gory red color from the severity of the flames. The smell of burning flesh filled the room, making the Earthrealmers gag as the smell reminded Kuai of the burning Shirai Ryu village.

While Kuai had no love for the man, he couldn’t help but wince in sympathy for Sektor. _You brought this upon yourself, you bastard._ Kuai thought to himself. _If you hadn’t ordered the hit on the Shirai Ryu,_ **_I_ ** _would have done this to you before you left._

Scorpion whirled to face Shang Tsung in a silent demand; the sorcerer nodded once, looking down at the specter. “Now,” he declared loudly in the dining hall as Sektor’s burnt body was dragged away by the monks, “Scorpion will fight Sub-Zero!”

Kuai knew this was coming, but still, he couldn’t help but feel conflicted. On one hand, his brother could die; however, he hadn’t been much of a brother, in the first place. Conversely, Scorpion was Hanzo Hasashi, brought back to life; however, he was not the man that Kuai knew. Kuai didn’t know who he wanted to live in the aftermath of the encounter - he was torn.

Suddenly, Scorpion pointed a finger at Bi-Han as he roared in pain and outrage. “I will not kill you here,” the specter growled as the flames at his feet started to pick up. “I will kill you in the place where I was reborn!”

The flames rose up to the ceiling, obstructing Kuai’s view from the scene. When they died down, the two were gone.

Kuai felt a sinking sensation in his gut. He knew where Scorpion had taken his older brother - to the Netherrealm. Kuai knew that it would be impossible for Bi-Han to win in the hellscape, and his friends seemed to understand that as well.

“I’m sorry,” Nightwolf said softly as he placed a hand on Kuai’s shoulder. “This was a tale of revenge and rage - nothing good could have come from it.”

“I know,” Kuai nodded, blinking back tears. He couldn’t believe that he was crying for Bi-Han, but while the man had been cruel to him in the more recent years that Kuai had known him, he had once been an encouraging older brother who cared for Kuai, a long time ago.

They all stood there, waiting for the return of the inevitable victor. Liu Kang stood behind the Earthrealm warriors, bowing his head solemnly.

Finally, in a flash of fire, Scorpion stood in the center of the arena where he and Sub-Zero had been standing moments before. Triumphantly, he held up a human skull with the vertebrae column attached to it over his head with one hand. It gleamed white under the light of the torches that illuminated the room - the flesh had been burned cleanly off of the bone.

Scorpion dropped the skull of Bi-Han, the bones shattering as they made contact with the floor. With another flash of hellfire, Scorpion disappeared. 

As the Outworlders dispersed and Shang Tsung disappeared in a green vortex, Kuai slowly approached the bones of his older brother, standing over them as he stared down. He remembered the days when Bi-Han would sneak out of the Lin Kuei to steal snacks and treats from the village, returning to the Lin Kuei to sneak them to Kuai. He remembered when Bi-Han would help Kuai sneak out of the temple so that they could run through the forests together.

Now, tears fell down Kuai’s face freely as he fell to his knees. It only then hit the cryomancer that he couldn’t even bury Bi-Han. He covered his face with his hands as his shoulders shook with silent sobs.

He felt someone kneel next to him as they hugged him gently. “I’m so sorry,” Sonya said quietly. “I know what it’s like to lose a brother.”

Slowly, Kuai started to feel the other Earthrealmers start to surround him, offering hugs and words of comfort. 

All Kuai felt was anger. He was angry at Scorpion for being so consumed by anger and rage that rendered him blind from the truth. He was angry at Bi-Han for being so prideful and arrogant that it led him to his death. He was angry at Quan Chi for killing the Shirai Ryu and his family. He was angry at Shao Kahn and Shang Tsung for hosting this damned tournament in the first place.

Then, the anger died out as it was replaced by shame. Kuai knew better than to let anger consume his mind - look at what happened with Scorpion! He couldn’t let his emotions cloud his judgment. Kuai let himself grieve for the loss of his brother.

Finally, Kuai started to compose himself, wiping his eyes with his hands as he slowly stood up on shaking legs. He looked down at Bi-Han’s bones for one last time before he tore his gaze away, looking at the other Earthrealmers. 

“Thank you,” Kuai addressed all of them. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“Look,” Kabal huffed, stepping to Kuai’s side as he wrapped his arm around Kuai’s back. “I know that you’ve been in - and lost - a lot of families. I know that you’re very scared to open yourself up. You probably blame yourself for a lot of things. But, the thing is, you’re a part of _our_ family, now. We’re always going to be here for each other - even when this nightmare is all over. Okay?”

Kuai saw the confirming nods of his newfound friends as he found himself nodding as well. Kabal patted his back comfortingly. “We’ve got this,” he said encouragingly. “We’re going to win this thing and ensure that your brother didn’t die for nothing.”

“Bi-Han was still a monster,” Kuai spoke as a thought hit him. “I want to take his mantle as Sub-Zero.”

“Huh?” Johnny was not the only one among the confused warriors. “Why?”

“My older brother committed many sins under the alias of ‘Sub-Zero’,” Kuai explained. “I want to undo every bad thing he has done, starting with winning the tournament for Earthrealm with his name. That way, I can honor the good memories I still have of him.” He looked at the faces of the other Earthrealm warriors, seeing the understanding start to bleed onto their expressions.

Only Liu Kang seemed relatively unfazed by the whole thing. He was actually smiling widely, nodding with approval at Kuai. “Let us proceed with winning the tournament, then, Sub-Zero.”

* * *

After socializing with the other Earthrealm fighters and talking with them for a little longer, Kuai retired to his bedroom, heading down the corridor to the dormitories.

He paused in his steps, seeing a person waiting for him. The person was leaning against Kuai’s bedroom door, blocking the way between Kuai and his room.

“Scorpion,” Kuai spoke warily, eyeing the specter with distrust. “What do you want?”

Fixating his pale dead eyes on Kuai, Scorpion began to speak what was on his mind. “When you asked me about the decimation of my clan, you seemed more concerned about the two missing bodies than the fates of the dead. Why? What do you know?”

Kuai bit his lower lip as he debated the merits of telling Scorpion the truth - _if only just to get this over with and be able to sleep,_ Kuai finally decided. “I know of two survivors of the Shirai Ryu,” he spoke truthfully, “They live in an apartment in upstate New York.”

Scorpion’s eyes widened before they narrowed in suspicion. “How did you come by this knowledge? Did you see them yourself? Are you even telling the truth?”

“All I can offer you is my word,” Kuai sighed tiredly, looking over Scorpion’s shoulder to his bedroom. “Look, I’m tired and exhausted. I want to go to bed, so could you please leave, now?”

Kuai blinked, and suddenly he had been pinned against the wall, a heated hand on his neck in a chokehold. Scorpion glared at him, lifting Kuai up against the back of the wall until he was dangling in the air, choking and gasping for air.

“Tell me,” Scorpion hissed, “where they are.”

“50 Temple Street,” Kuai gasped through the lack of air as his vision started to darken, “Zipcode 10002. Room… Room 56!”

Then, the hand dropped him, and Kuai fell to the ground. He raised his hand to his neck, gulping in air as he recovered. He looked down at Scorpion’s black boots through his blurred vision - they walked away, leaving Kuai sitting next to his door as his chest heaved, taking deep measured breaths.

For a split second when Kuai had been gasping for his breath, he thought that Scorpion was going to kill him. 


	8. Tournament (Part 3)

**_I ain't waiting for a miracle;_ **

**_I ain't waiting for the world to change._ **

**_Under my skin lives the reason_ **

**_Under my armor, I lost it all._ **

**\- Avenged Sevenfold, “Lost it All”**

* * *

The next morning, Kuai had told the others about Scorpion’s confrontation with him last night while the Earthrealmers were sitting together at breakfast. He explained that he had been forced up to give up the location of the apartment, and Liu Kang frowned in concern.

“He may try to travel to the apartment after the tournament,” Liu Kang explained his worries. “Until the tournament is over, no one is permitted to leave. Not even via teleportation. He will have to wait until the end of the tournament, but I assure you that as soon as the fighting is done, I will bring you back home first,” the Fire God promised.

“What about us, then?” Kabal asked both curiously and indignantly.

“You will have to come with,” Liu Kang mused before turning to look at Kuai. “Is that alright with you?”

“Everyone here is a lot better company than the hellspawn,” Kuai said grimly, nodding in approval. “Besides, if Scorpion sees that there are a lot of people near Satoshi, it may scare him off.”

“One can hope,” Nightwolf said, although everyone could pick up on the disbelief etched in his voice.

Kuai had thought for certain that Scorpion was going to kill him right then and there. It only made him anxious about giving up Satoshi’s location - he had stayed up the majority of last night fretting over his mistake. The hellspawn slightly terrified him, now. To have him near Satoshi… the thought made Kuai’s stomach churn. While a part of him had hoped that Hanzo Hasashi was in there - behind the rage and anger - last night quelled this foolish thought for certain.

The cryomancer clenched his hands into tight fists. He would not let Scorpion near Satoshi, even if it got him killed.

“It is settled, then,” Liu Kang announced to their group. “Pack up your things before the tournament starts and bring your bags to the arena. As soon as we are released, we will head back to ensure that Kuai’s nephew is safe.”

As the day progressed, Kuai focused his attention on winning the tournament so that he would be free to return home to his nephew. He trained in the first half of the day with his allies, too anxious to laugh along with the jokes they made. 

The time seemed to pass too quickly; Kuai found himself back in the dining hall where the second half of the tournament would be held. The tables were gone, once again, and the front of the hall nearby the throne was clear of people, creating the arena.

Kuai tensed as he stood next to his friends, the memory of Bi-Han’s death yesterday still fresh on his mind. He pushed back his fear and doubt as he removed his packed backpack from his shoulders, setting it to the ground - he would _not_ die today. Shang Tsung appeared on his throne at the very back of the hall, grinning sinisterly.

“Now, we return to the tournament!” the wily sorcerer exclaimed. “We have a special treat for you, Earthrealmers. Meet your opponent, Ermac!”

The center of the arena floor glowed with a luminescent green as the light blinded the kombatants’ sight. When the light died out, a levitating body stood in the center of the arena. His eyes glowed pale green and he was wrapped head-to-toe in black bandages. The figure - Ermac - wore a dark scarlet and black robe with the hood drawn over his head. He stared blankly at the Earthrealmers, the lack of expression on his face making Kuai uncomfortable.

Shang Tsung called out Stryker, Kabal, and Jax to the arena. All three were defeated in their respective fights - the telekinetic abilities of Ermac were too tough for them to handle. Sonya also was called up to fight, but she was downed as well - although, she had lasted the longest of all of them.

Finally, Kenshi was brought forth. The blind swordsman bowed respectfully to Ermac. “I look forward to this fight,” he said lightheartedly as he unsheathed Sento.

Ermac didn’t react; he only said in response, “We will crush you!”

When Shang Tsung called out for the fight to begin, the two warriors rushed at each other. Kuai saw Ermac move his hands in a move that would have sent Kenshi flying backward - however, the blind man held Sento in front of him, and a glowing blue barrier protected him from the green blast.

With Ermac distracted, Kenshi pushed forward, swiping through the air skillfully with Sento as he drove the blade into the soul husk’s lower stomach. Kenshi retracted the sacred katana, lifting two fingers to his temple as Ermac was engulfed in blue light. Suddenly, Ermac was sent flying backward, his back connecting with the wall as he slumped down to the floor, unconscious from the hit.

Kuai sighed in relief - he was worried that they would be stopped in their tracks by this new contender. Thankfully, they had a telekinetic warrior of their own.

Shang Tsung had a sour look on his face but nevertheless declared Kenshi to be the winner. “Your next opponent will be Scorpion!” he hissed, displeasure evident in his tone. 

The familiar whirlwind of flame appeared to signal the hellspawn’s appearance. Kenshi readied himself, holding Sento in both hands as Scorpion crouched, ready to launch himself into battle once more.

The two warriors clashed in the center of the arena - Sento clashed with one of Scorpion’s swords. The sound of metal-on-metal was harsh on Kuai’s ears, but he watched intensely as it seemed that Kenshi was starting to win the fight, pushing Scorpion backward until he was about to step out of bounds.

However, Scorpion jumped back and disappeared in a burst of flame, reappearing behind Kenshi. The blind swordsman reacted just in time - however, the delayed reaction allowed Scorpion to wrench Sento out of Kenshi’s hands.

Kuai felt dread settle in his stomach.

Now, Kenshi was helpless without Sento’s guidance. He was subjected to punches and kicks from Scorpion as he tried in vain to block them. In a short time, however, he was forced to the ground, making Scorpion the winner yet again.

Johnny and Nightwolf went to the arena again to carry the injured Kenshi back to their side of the arena’s sidelines. Liu Kang knelt over Kenshi’s fallen form, working his magic on the man’s wounds. Kuai looked up to the faces of his allies and was hit with a sudden realization.

He was the only one left to fight for Earthrealm.

The others started to pick up on this as well, looking back at Kuai with worried and anxious looks. “Now, for Earthrealm’s last defender,” Shang Tsung called out smugly. “He went by Renegade, but now takes up the name of the fallen Lin Kuei - _Sub-Zero!”_

Kuai slowly walked to the arena, shoving away the lingering doubt in the back of his mind as he faced Scorpion.

The specter was glaring with hatred at the cryomancer. “Why did you take up that murderer’s name?” he snarled. “He was a merciless and arrogant killer!”

“I take up his name to erase the sins he committed in his life,” Kuai Liang spoke back, calming himself as he got into his fighting stance. The black mask on his face and the Medallion pinned to his chest served to reassure him as he stared down at his opponent.

Scorpion growled, letting his anger get the better of him once again. He disappeared immediately in a torrent of flame. This time, Kuai was ready. He ducked under the high kick thrown in his direction by Scorpion from behind, reaching up to grab the specter’s leg as he threw Scorpion over his head.

The specter teleported before he could hit the ground, appearing a distance away from Kuai. He lifted his wrist as the kunai darted out toward Kuai. The cryomancer dodged fluidly to the side, grabbing onto the chain with one hand. He tugged on the chain, drawing in a stunned Scorpion toward him. 

Kuai met the specter with a high kick of his own to the jaw, making Scorpion’s head snap back from the force. Holding onto the chain of the kunai, Kuai wrapped it around his wrist to connect him to the specter. He landed punches and kicks in random, unpredictable sequences to ensure that Scorpion could not anticipate and block his attacks. As Kuai saw that Scorpion was starting to adjust and adapt to the blows, he pulled on the kunai again, removing it from Scorpion’s hands.

The cryomancer now held the kunai in his own hands - he had once been taught to use it by Hanzo when the Shirai Ryu clan was still alive. Kuai whipped the kunai around him like a whip, the pointed tip catching Scorpion in the chest as it cut into his skin multiple times. As Scorpion recovered yet again, Kuai dashed forward, wrapping the chain of the kunai around Scorpion’s neck as he pulled back, trying to get Scorpion to suffocate and fall unconscious.

Eventually, after a lot of struggling, the two had fallen onto the ground. Kuai was lying on his back with Scorpion’s back against his chest. Still, the cryomancer held onto the kunai chain, pulling on it even tighter to the point where he thought it would snap. In his peripheral vision, Kuai saw that Scorpion’s legs were struggling to rise. Kuai reacted by bringing his legs to wrap on top of the specter’s legs, pinning them to the ground as he fully immobilized Scorpion.

Finally, the struggling started to cease in intensity, and Scorpion slumped against Kuai. The cryomancer checked his breathing to make sure that he was _really_ unconscious and still alive before shoving the unconscious body off of him and getting back onto his feet. The arena was cleared by the monks as an unhappy face settled on Shang Tsung’s face. “It has been a long time since a Mortal Kombat champion has made it this far in the tournament,” the sorcerer said. “You will now face Outworld’s undefeated champion, the Shokan Goro!”

With a wave of his hand, Kuai fell through the ground with a yelp and into darkness.

* * *

As Kuai fell through the darkness of the portal, he readied himself mentally for the challenge waiting for him ahead on the other side. As he saw light start to appear at his feet, Kuai crouched low until he landed on the stone floor, the sound of the impact echoing through the area.

Looking around at his surroundings, Kuai took in the darkened cave walls and the metal bars of the jail cells. He looked around, trying to look for his next opponent when a deep, rumbling voice called out.

“I did not expect to partake in this tournament.”

Kuai whirled around to see a lumbering figure walk over to the cryomancer. His four giant arms flexed powerfully as Kuai got into his fighting stance. The Shokan, Goro, chuckled. “You’re not even a Shaolin,” he grinned mockingly. “What a disappointment.”

With that, he charged forward at Kuai, all four arms swinging dangerously. Kuai was able to jump to the side to avoid getting hit as he channeled his powers for the first time in the tournament, now that there was no one else watching. 

He hurled an ice ball at the Shokan which managed to encase the beast in his entirety; thanks to the help of the Dragon Medallion on Kuai’s uniform, he was able to trap Goro in an icy prison. Kuai punched through the ice, driving his fist into Goro’s stomach.

The Shokan stumbled with an indignant roar but was open and vulnerable to Kuai’s attacks. The cryomancer made the most of this advantage; he summoned swords of ice that he would slash until they snapped, hammers that he would swing until they crumbled, and shuriken, knives, and other various weapons that Kuai used to push the Shokan to the brink of exhaustion.

The Shokan finally recovered, making Kuai do a flip back in a hasty retreat. Goro was bleeding from multiple cuts and wounds, and one of his arms was bent at an awkward angle from a well-placed hit by Kuai’s ice hammer. Goro, who was currently kneeling on the ground, glared up at Kuai in anger and fury. With a roar that caused the cave walls to shake, the Shokan charged at Kuai with a burst of speed.

Kuai immediately knew that he had to end this quickly. Looking at his surroundings, he saw a hook attached to a chain that was dangling from the ceiling. Thinking quickly, Kuai jumped up in the air as one hand wrapped around the curve of the hook while the other hand grasped higher on the chain. He lifted himself until he was lying horizontally in the air, removing himself from the path of the Shokan’s charge.

As Goro skidded to a stop, Kuai dropped down until he was holding onto the hook with both hands, swinging his legs up to gain momentum. He swung forward at Goro, burying the sharp end of the hook into his back left shoulder, digging it into the flesh.

Once Kuai was certain that the hook would hold, he dropped down and encased his fists in hard ice. He started to use Goro as a punching bag while the Shokan was distracted by the pain of the hook. Finally, after swinging the ice hammer one last time at Goro’s face, the Shokan slumped on the hook, unconscious.

Kuai panted, stepping away from Goro as he recovered his breath. He could feel the Medallion supporting him in his recovery, providing Kuai with the energy he had lost. As he stood back up straight, he felt just as he had before the tournament started that day. Marveling at the Medallion’s capabilities, Kuai’s attention snapped from the artifact to look up at the glowing green portal levitating in the air. The cryomancer rushed to it, reaching one hand up. As his hand disappeared through the portal, Kuai felt himself get sucked up into the glowing circle as he traveled back to the island.

As the ground started to rush up at him for a second time, Kuai prepared himself again, landing softly on his knee and foot in a crouch as he looked up at Shang Tsung in a challenge. The sorcerer looked shocked to see Kuai there, but he was quick to hide the surprise, walking down from the throne to stand across from Kuai in the final fight of the tournament.

“You have come so far, only to lose here,” Shang Tsung sneered. “So close, yet so far. The merging of Earthrealm into Outworld is inevitable.”

“Not if I have anything to say about it,” Kuai snarled in retaliation.

Shang Tsung threw a fireball at Kuai, who dodged it easily. Three more fireballs were thrown, which were avoided by Kuai in return. Snarling, the sorcerer pushed forward, swiping at Kuai with his hands.

Kuai was able to block them as he whirled backward, sticking his foot out to catch Shang Tsung in the face. As the sorcerer stumbled back, his appearance began to shift until he had become Bi-Han. 

Kuai was enraged by the fact that the sorcerer was imitating his dead brother, but Kuai kept his emotions in check as he dodged an iceball that was hurled his way.

The cryomancer sent an iceball of his own back at Shang Tsung in retaliation. The sorcerer’s eyes widened, but he was too late to react as the ice hit his chest, encasing him in ice and freezing him in place. Kuai walked up to the frozen sorcerer, creating an ice sword in his right hand as he stalked up to his final opponent. Drawing his arm back, Kuai drove the blade forward until the sharp ice buried itself through Shang Tsung’s abdomen - it wouldn't kill him, but it would make it nearly impossible for him to continue fighting.

The action of the sword going through Shang Tsung’s gut broke the sorcerer out of the icy prison he had been contained in as he stared down in shock at the beautifully-crafted ice weapon protruding from his stomach.

Kuai stood over the sorcerer, a blue glow in his palms as he prepared to summon his ice. “Have you had enough?” Kuai questioned, “Or do you want to continue? I can do this all day.”

“I concede,” Shang Tsung rasped through the pain. “Earthrealm has won the tournament.”

With his words, a gentle golden light washed over the room; the Elder Gods had recognized Earthrealm’s victory.

Loud cheers erupted from the Earthrealm side of the arena as Kuai’s friends came to him, surrounding him with praise and congratulations. Liu Kang stood back but nodded in thanks to Kuai. The cryomancer nodded back in reply, his smile fading as he realized that the tournament was over.

“Satoshi,” he gasped as the Outworlders started to disappear through a red portal. “We have to go, now.”

Liu Kang nodded in agreement. “Does everyone have their belongings?” Kuai was quick to hold onto his backpack as the others rushed to retrieve their bags from the floor, returning to stand near Liu Kang. The god raised his arm in the air, and as a bright light surrounded the Earthrealmers, they left the island for good. 

* * *

The familiar, comforting sounds of New York City pierced Kuai’s ears as he looked around him wildly, trying to find his apartment building.

He quickly located his apartment, pushing through the confused and shocked bystanders walking on the street as the kombatants followed after Kuai, keeping close to his heels. The sun was just starting to rise, creating beautiful colors in the sky. They followed the cryomancer into a building as Kuai took the staircase, thinking that the elevator would take too long. He jumped up and skipped steps, going up to the fifth floor where his and Satoshi’s apartment was. He could hear the footsteps of his friends following after him, the football echoing in the closed-off staircase.

Kuai burst through the door to the fifth floor, rushing down the hall to his door. He removed the backpack from his shoulders, holding it in front of him as he retrieved the key from the very front, small pocket. He fit the key into the keyhole with trembling fingers as his friends finally caught up with him.

Finally, the cryomancer unlocked the door and rushed inside with panic in his eyes. “Satoshi!” he cried out. “Toshi, it's me!”

“Huh?” 

Satoshi rubbed his eyes as he walked out from his bedroom in his pajamas, yawning tiredly. His eyes widened as he saw Kuai, as a grin grew on his face. “Kuai” he exclaimed happily as he rushed into Kuai’s arms. “You came back!”

Kuai laughed hysterically, feeling all the stress and worry in his body evaporate now that he was holding Satoshi in his arms again. “I promised you I would, didn't I?” he asked as he ruffled Satoshi’s hair affectionately.

The kombatants looked at the happy familial scene with soft smiles on their faces as the family was finally reunited with each other.

The twelve-year-old boy looked up at the strangers curiously. “Who are they?” he asked Kuai.

“These are the people that helped me stay alive in the tournament,” Kuai explained as he introduced them all by name to the pre-teen. “It’s nice to meet you,” Satoshi said. “My name is Satoshi Hasashi; thank you for looking after my dad.”

Kuai froze at Satoshi’s last word. The child looked up at Kuai uncertainly. “It’s true,” he admitted softly. “You’re like a father to me.”

Kneeling to his eye-level, Kuai placed his hand on Satoshi’s shoulder. “I also see you as a son,” he started, removing his black mask, “but there's something I have to tell you, first.”

* * *

After locking the door to the apartment, the kombatants sat together in the living room. The dining table chairs had been pulled to the area to provide for more seats; still, some of them had to sit on the floor.

The person who had looked after Satoshi while Kuai was at the tournament was an Elder God named Raiden. He assured Kuai that Satoshi had been nothing short of an absolute angel, and he enjoyed his time with the boy. He looked at Kuai with an odd glint of recognition and curiosity in his eyes.

Kuai and the kombatants had taken turns explaining the blizzard events of the tournament. Kuai also brought up the two Lin Kuei warriors and Bi-Han’s unexpected death. Satoshi, who already knew of Kuai’s past and his complicated relationship with his older brother, hugged his father-figure comfortingly as tears started to well in Kuai’s eyes again. The others took over the explanation at that point, angrily talking about how Scorpion had attacked Kuai the night that Bi-Han had died. They carefully explained how Scorpion was Hanzo Hasashi - Satoshi’s father - brought back from the dead. They finally ended with the details of Kuai’s victory over the remaining Outworld fighters.

“You should be proud of him,” Liu Kang told Satoshi. “He, as Earthrealm’s Champion, saved this realm from being conquered by a power-hungry dictator.”

“I'm always proud of him,” Satoshi said truthfully. “He did so much to get us to this point; I wouldn't be alive if it weren't for him.”

Then, the boy frowned. “If Scorpion attacked you, then he isn't my father,” he declared. “My father - when he was alive - respected you, Kuai. If he willingly attacked you, then he isn't Hanzo Hasashi anymore.” 

“In his defense,” Kuai said slowly as he didn’t want to fracture the relationship between father and son, “he didn't know who I was. He was more concerned about getting back to you.”

“It doesn't matter,” Satoshi argued. “My father wouldn't attack a person like that for his selfish reasons. You have been more of a father to me in these past years. _You_ are my father, not Scorpion.”

Kuai was choked up emotionally by Satoshi’s honest declaration. Nevertheless, he knew that if Scorpion was to hear this for himself, he’d probably kill Kuai in a fit of rage.

“Scorpion is here,” Raiden announced with alarm, standing up suddenly. “He is running up the stairs right now.”

 _Speak of the devil,_ Kuai thought to himself.

“This is a battle that Kuai Liang must fight for himself,” Liu Kang announced to them all. “I will bring the others to the Sky Temple; I can feel Shang Tsung trying to locate me for the second proposed tournament.”

“You must accept,” Raiden advised Liu Kang warningly, further cemented in Kuai’s mind that Raiden also held knowledge of this previous timeline. “If you refuse, the Outworlders capture Sonya Blade and the Shaolin masters. Don't forget to adjust the terms of agreement of the tournament; Outworld can not invade nor conquer Earthrealm. Only then will we be able to intervene.”

As Liu Kang nodded, they disappeared from the apartment in a flash of light. 

Suddenly, the apartment door was kicked down as Scorpion walked over the door that had been torn from its hinges. He started around the apartment before his eyes settled on Kuai, standing protectively in front of Satoshi, who was peering frighteningly from behind Kuai’s back as he stared at the being that used to be his father.

 _“Sub-Zero,”_ Scorpion spat out Kuai’s new moniker. “Get away from my son.”

Kuai shook his head. “I can not,” he said. “I am the boy’s father, now. Please, just walk away, Scorpion. Don't let your anger turn this into an unreasonable fight.”

“I would rather die than give up my son!” Scorpion roared. “Quan Chi told me that my son was alive; he also told me that you are a secret Lin Kuei warrior who was the mastermind behind the Shirai Ryu’s slaughter! I will burn the flesh from your bones with my hellfire, Sub-Zero!”

 _Aww, shit,_ Kuai thought to himself as Scorpion’s words hit him. 

He pulled Satoshi with him as Kuai dodged to the side, protecting Satoshi from getting scorched by the flames coming from Scorpion’s hands. Kuai rushed to the kitchen, grabbing the knife rack as he tucked it in his arm. He sat Satoshi down behind the cover of the cabinets as he threw the knives at Scorpion.

The hellspawn unsheathed his sword, deflecting the knives that sailed through the air toward his body. As Kuai ran out of knives to throw, he took the large 12-inch knife in his right hand and the meat cleaver in his left, throwing the empty knife rack to the side.

Kuai jumped over the countertop to meet Scorpion in a clash of steel, trying to push Scorpion away from Satoshi, who was still crouched behind the counters. At that moment, it didn't occur to Kuai to use his cryomancy until it was too late - the kitchen knives could only hold up for so long against Japanese steel. 

Scorpion buried his sword through Kuai’s chest, the end of the metal sword sticking out the cryomancer’s back. Kuai gasped in shock and pain as he fell onto his knees, staring down at the weapon buried in his chest. Scorpion planted his foot on Kuai’s right shoulder, pushing the cryomancer to the ground and removing him from the sword.

Kuai fell to the ground, lying on his side. As the cryomancer gasped, watching the blood leak out of his body, he felt the cold steel of Scorpion’s sword rest under his chin. “Now, Sub-Zero, you die!” The hellspawn lifted the sword back in the air, intending to swipe down to slit Kuai’s throat and deal the final blow…

“Stop!” Satoshi placed his body between Scorpion and Kuai, facing his biological father as he raised his hands to protect his father figure.

“Get out of the way, son,” Scorpion growled. “This Lin Kuei scum deserves to die.”

“You have no right to call me your son!” Satoshi snapped, making Scorpion jerk back in shock. “He’s been there for me since the beginning. He’s protected me from other Lin Kuei and assassins, and he taught me to read and write. He put me in school so that I could have a proper education and get a job when I am older. Where have you been?”

“I was dead!” Scorpion snapped, lowering the sword. “I will kill all Lin Kuei for killing your mother and your grandparents!”

“What if I don't want you to?” Satoshi pleaded as Kuai lay on the ground, dying. “What if I asked you to give up your quest for revenge and stay with me to be my father again? Would you do it; for me?”

“The Lin Kuei need to pay!” Scorpion roared. “How could you not want me to avenge our fallen?”

“I would want you to live with what you have, rather than waste it in the past!” Satoshi shouted back in equal volume. “You aren't my father! Hanzo would have given up everything for me! He certainly would give up this revenge to spend the rest of his life with me! You’re not my father! You’re just a manifestation of all the bad things about him!!!”

Scorpion growled, about to say something in retaliation when a bright light engulfed the room - Liu Kang and Raiden had returned. Seeing that he was outmatched, Scorpion teleported away in a tornado of fire as the gods rushed to Kuai’s side.

The cryomancer gasped at the sensation of hands on his shoulder. “Satoshi,” he breathed out. “Is Satoshi okay?”

“He’s fine,” Liu Kang reassured the cryomancer as he glanced down at the gaping wound. “You, however, are not.”

“Let us bring him to the Jinsei,” Raiden suggested. “It will be more efficient in healing his wounds.”

As Kuai felt himself being lifted, he fell unconscious, letting the darkness consume him.

* * *

When the cryomancer opened his eyes, he found himself surrounded by blue light.

Frowning, he looked around him wildly, thinking that he had succumbed to his wounds and was currently in the afterlife. However, Kuai found himself falling through the blue barrier of light until he had fallen to the ground. Now that the blue light was no longer obstructing his vision, the cryomancer found himself in yet another cave. He looked down to the area where his wound had been, only to discover that it had been healed completely - there was no sign that it had been there in the first place.

Then, through the single entrance walked in three different people that Kuai didn’t recognize. There was one regal-looking woman with two men - they were dressed in robes of varying colors with markings on them, looking important. One of the men had a hat with a sharp edge on it, while the other man had shockingly white hair tied back in a plait. They all approached Kuai as he got back onto his feet.

“Kuai Liang,” the woman greeted. “Welcome to the Jinsei Chamber, the lifeforce of Earthrealm. I am Kitana - Elder Goddess of Reality. With me are Fujin, the Elder God of Wind; and Kung Lao, the Elder God of Life.”

“Where is Satoshi? Where are my friends?” Kuai asked. “Where is Liu Kang or Raiden?”

“We will bring you to them,” Fujin reassured Kuai. “Please, follow us.”

They led the cryomancer out of the Jinsei Chamber, and Kuai found himself being led through walkways with tapestries and paintings hung on the walls. They seemed to be about previous tournaments of the past, and Kuai did the best he could to examine them as he walked quickly by them.

Eventually, Kuai was brought outside the temple where he saw his friends standing in the courtyard. They were huddled together and seemed to be conversing with each other. As the Elder Gods and Kuai made their way closer to them, the Earthrealmers along with Liu Kang and Raiden turned to face the newcomers.

Satoshi ran from the middle of the group to rush into Kuai, wrapping his arms around his waist tightly. “I thought you were dead,” he sobbed.

Kuai held him tightly in return, taking a shaky breath. “I’m thankful that you stood up for me, but I don’t want you to risk your life like that, again. Okay?” Satoshi only cried harder, but he still managed to nod, burying his face in Kuai’s chest.

“As your apartment is ruined and known to Scorpion,” Raiden said to the cryomancer, “we will keep Satoshi here at the Sky Temple. We have teachers here who can continue your nephew’s education until you retake the Lin Kuei.”

Kuai nodded gratefully at the Thunder God, letting go of Satoshi as he joined his friends. He watched as Satoshi was led by Kung Lao to one of the monasteries in the area, disappearing through the door.

“Hey, you’re fine!” Stryker exclaimed, clapping Kuai on the back as he stood with the rest of them. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine,” Kuai replied, nodding reassuringly. “It’s completely healed - like it wasn’t there to being with.”

“The Jinsei is the lifeforce of Earthrealm,” Raiden explained to the others. “It has magical healing properties, which was used to heal your wound.”

“You looked like death when you got back,” Nightwolf said. “There was blood everywhere and you were pale.”

“Well, paler than usual,” Johnny joked.

“Can we get back to the main idea, here?” Jax asked, a hint of panic in his voice. “Sonya is gone, and Kabal has gone missing. We need to go to this second tournament to get them back!”

“What happened?” Kuai asked in shock.

“Shang Tsung came here to propose the second tournament,” Liu Kang replied. “I told him that I would only accept the invitation if Outworld promised to not enter with the intent to conquer Earthrealm, including means of invasion, siege, or takeover of any kind. He accepted the terms, but still captured Sonya Blade. I do not know where Kabal has gone.”

“I think they may know,” Raiden replied, pointing to two monks that were running to the group. They came to a stop, bowing respectfully before the gods as one of them spoke. “We found one of your champions in the outskirts of the temple. He’s severely injured with severe burns. You must come quickly - he is about to die!”

The group followed after the monks as they led them to their comrade’s fallen form. The lying, burnt man was indeed Kabal - his skin was horribly blistered. Kuai felt sick as he looked down. “Was this…?” He didn’t want to believe that Scorpion had done this.

“It’s Shang Tsung’s work,” Fujin replied. “We can heal his burns in the Jinsei, but his lungs are beyond the point of repair. He should have been dead a long time ago.”

“We have a piece of tech recovered by the Black Dragon organization,” Jax spoke up, thinking quickly. “It should help with his breathing problems. Its original purpose was to have a person breathe in fumes that would give them a burst of unbelievable speed. Kano designed it to make heists easier, but Kabal can use it as a respirator.”

“I will bring Jax to the Special Forces to recover this device,” Raiden said decisively. “The rest of you, place Kabal in the Jinsei to heal his skin. We will return shortly. Then, once Kabal has recovered, we will head to Outworld where we will partake in the second tournament.”

* * *

Kuai sat with the remainder of his friends outside of the Chamber as Jax was helping Kabal. They were all silent, worrying about Kabal’s health as well as Sonya’s fate. Even Johnny was quiet as well, his right leg bouncing up and down anxiously.

“I can’t believe that we have to do this all over again,” Stryker mumbled. “We were done!”

“If we didn’t accept,” Kenshi spoke, “Shao Kahn would invade Earthrealm. This ensures that this never happens in the future. We are doing this - not only to save Earthrealm - but to secure Earthrealm’s safety for its future years. I assure you, the risk is worth it.”

“Besides, they have Sonya!” Johnny pointed out. “We _have_ to go back and bring her home.”

“What happened at your apartment?” Nightwolf asked Kuai, who was twirling a small throwing knife in his hands. The cryomancer leaned back in his seat. “Scorpion confronted me. He now believes that my older brother was wrongly accused and that _I_ was the one pulling the strings behind the scenes.” He huffed amusedly. “It’s a little funny; if you think about it.”

The others didn’t laugh.

“He will try to kill you,” Kenshi warned. “You will not be able to be as conservative with your cryomancy in this tournament.”

Kuai nodded in agreement as the Jinsei doors opened, revealing Jax supporting Kabal while the Elder Gods stood back. The cryomancer immediately stood up and walked over, the others following after him as they went to check on Kabal’s health and strength.

Kabal didn’t look as bad as Kuai thought he would have been. The majority of his skin had healed - there was the occasional scar tissue on his arm and lower leg, but his skin seemed to be perfectly healthy.

It was the mask that Kabal was wearing that caught Kuai’s attention. It looked fearsome and intimidating - the inhaler device made a hissing noise as Kabal took breaths in and out. Still, as long as it was keeping him alive, Kuai didn’t mind it at all.

Kabal was now standing on his own feet without any support, which was a good sign. Jax held long, sharp twin hook swords in his hands. “I know that you attribute these to your time in the Black Dragon,” the Lieutenant spoke as he handed them to Kabal, “but I know how dangerous you can be using them. This, with your abnormal speed, should make you an unstoppable force in the tournament.”

“Kabal’s strength has been fully restored,” Kitana announced to the kombatants. “The Jinsei provided him with the lost energy. You should head for Outworld as soon as possible. Now that Shang Tsung and Shao Kahn have accepted your terms, it is vital to go and win the tournament. We will handle the fallout, should Outworld continue in their plans to take Earthrealm.”

“Before you go,” Raiden interjected, “it has come to my attention that Kuai Liang has taken up the mantle of his older brother. To honor his memory, I give you this.” With a wave of his hand, Kuai’s repaired grey uniform started to shift, the familiar shade of blue overtaking the grey color. The metal armguards and shoulder pads remained their silver steel tone. The pants were jet black, and there were also silver pads protecting his lower legs. His boots were mainly black with blue and white stripes. It was like Bi-Han’s uniform, but it was not. 

There was a junction of the blue armor that left the lower part of his upper arm exposed; there was nothing to cover his upper arms under the shoulder pads, but the silver armguards covered the cryomancer’s entire lower arms. Kuai also held a dark blue sash in his right hand, which he lifted to tie around his forehead, securing it tightly. The silver mask that Hanzo had given him matched perfectly with the other silver metal guards protecting his limbs.

Now that everyone was ready, Liu Kang approached the assembled warriors, raising his hand as he teleported the group to Outworld, disappearing in a flash of brilliant light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *I really liked Kuai’s MK11 uniform in the Story Mode and tried to describe it accurately.*


	9. The Tournament to End it All

**_Look deep into yourself before you blame_ **

**_All others for betrayal, now for betrayal._ **

**_A promise, so easy to say_ **

**_And easy you fail, and you'd do it again._ **

**\- Volbeat, “Still Counting”**

* * *

Kuai looked up to the stands in the auditorium, the silver mask covering his mouth and nose to block the sand out.

The cheers of the large crowd were raucous and harsh; Kuai turned his attention away from the stands as he looked toward the center of the arena. There were three thrones in the center - a large one in the middle with two slightly smaller ones to the sides. A large hulking man sat on the large throne - Kuai guessed that it was Shao Kahn. The man wore a skull mask and a horned helmet with a large sledgehammer resting against the side of his throne.

On his right side was a woman dressed in pink clothes that were uncomfortably revealing. She had a veil wrapped around the lower half of her face and wore heavy eyeshadow and makeup. Liu Kang whispered to the group that the female was Mileena, Shao Kahn’s daughter. Kuai remembered that the woman had been created in a lab rather than conceived properly. He also guessed that she wore the veil to hide her gruesome Tarkatan teeth.

On Shao Kahn’s left side was an older woman dressed in violet clothing, less revealing than Mileena’s, but still showing skin. Her extremely long hair was shockingly white with black accents. She was also wearing heavy makeup and wore a large amount of jewelry on her wrists, fingers, and neck. Liu Kang identified her as Sindel, Shao Kahn’s wife. She was a banshee, able to scream at ear-splitting volumes with magical hair that could grip onto things as hands did.

Kuai also saw familiar faces as well. He looked at the arena to the Outworld fighters standing in a line in front of the emperor and his family. There was Shang Tsung, Reptile, and Baraka. With a chill, Kuai saw that Scorpion and Quan Chi were also there. The undead Shirai Ryu leveled Kuai with a malicious glare as the Earthrealmers started to approach. In his rage, Scorpion didn’t even recognize Kuai’s silver mask.

_It pissed the cryomancer off, to be honest._

Suddenly, Jax broke through the crowd angrily as he walked up to the arena. “No, Jax!” Liu Kang shouted as the Special Forces man stalked to the emperor to demand him to release Sonya, “this is a tournament!”

It was too late; Shao Kahn rumbled in a pleased manner, looking down at Jax. The emperor spoke before the soldier could, “Our first volunteer! You will face… Baraka!”

“Huh?” Jax was confused as the Tarkatan walked forward through the sand to join him in the arena. “These blades will taste your flesh!” Baraka snarled as he extended the arm blades.

“Fight!” Shao Kahn declared as the crowd went wild.

Jax leaped back to avoid the lashing blades from Baraka, dodging the swipes. When the Tarkatan had overextended, Jax suddenly rushed forward to hold Baraka in a chokehold with one hand, lifting the Tarkatan in the air. Jax punched his face three times before throwing Baraka away, raising his fists defensively as Baraka got back onto his feet. The Tarkatan rushed at Jax again, arm blades swinging again.

Jax repeated the process of playing keep-away until there was an opening; then, he’d rush at his opponent to land brutal punches on Baraka. Finally, the Tarkatan succumbed to the harsh blows, falling to the ground, unconscious. The crowd booed Jax’s victory as he stood up, a pleased smile on his face.

Shao Kahn looked down at Jax with a displeased look in his eye; he called out for Reptile to take Baraka’s place. The Saurian dashed to the arena, eager to prove his worth to his emperor as he got into a crouch, prepared to fight.

When the fight was announced, Reptile went invisible. Confused, Jax looked around him, trying to find where his opponent was. He stumbled as he was hit from behind, taking steps forward as he whirled around, throwing a fist to try and hit the Saurian. However, it just hit the air. Kuai pulled on Kenshi’s sleeve to get the telepath’s attention. “Tell him to look at the sand for footprints,” Kuai said as he pointed out the appearing footprints in the ground.

Kenshi nodded immediately, sending the message to Jax telepathically. The Special Forces man must have heard it; he started to look at the ground, catching the approaching footprints.

As they got close to Jax, the man threw his fist in the direction, finally connecting with Reptile’s face. Now, the Saurian was visible and stunned from the sudden hit, enabling Jax to leap forward into battle. He threw punches and kicks at his opponent until soon, Reptile was also lying on the ground unconscious. 

Angrily, Shao Kahn stood up. “The tournament is adjourned, for now! We will resume in an hour!” He stepped down from the throne and walked toward his fortress, Sindel and Mileena following in his footsteps.

Now that the tournament was halted, Jax returned to the others. “We have to find Sonya,” he urged. 

“I will help Jax in his venture,” Liu Kang announced, “but the rest of you should stay here, just in case the tournament begins sooner than anticipated. I will take Jax and Johnny with me to find and save Sonya Blade. Watch your back at all times in the tournament, especially in your victory. In the previous timeline, Shao Kahn snapped Kung Lao’s neck in his moment of victory.”

“We will follow your counsel, Lord Liu Kang,” Nightwolf said in acknowledgment as he bowed respectfully. 

Liu Kang returned the bow before he teleported away with Johnny and Jax. Kuai turned to face his remaining friends. “From what it sounds like, the emperor may try to eliminate some of us from the tournament through assassination. We should stick together at all times.”

“Sounds good to me,” Kabal nodded. “Let’s see if there’s a secluded area we can spar together; I want to see how this near gear has affected my speed.”

* * *

They were standing on a beach in Outworld where the water from the ocean lapped gently at the sand.

Kuai wanted to practice there, especially since the sand under their feet would properly mimic the ground in the arena. They were currently testing Kabal’s speed as he sprinted - he was _incredibly_ fast, rushing forward to the point where he was nearly invisible in traveling from one point to another. 

“Don’t trip over your own feet,” Kenshi warned. “That would end the fight for you.”

“It’s just like running normally,” Kabal admitted with awe. “I’ll admit; I had my reservations about this thing, but it sure has its benefits!”

“Now that you know how to control your speed, you should practice with your hook swords,” Nightwolf advised. “Let us spar, now.”

As they all started to fight each other - minding to not cause severe injury to each other - Kuai noted from the corner of his eye that there was someone standing in the forest nearby the beach they were on.

The cryomancer turned to look closely, recoiling in shock as he realized that it was Scorpion. The specter was no doubt unhappy about the blue colors that Kuai was sporting in memory of Bi-Han. Kuai held his gaze for a second before turning away pointedly. He would not give Scorpion any of his attention unless it was for the tournament - he knew that Hanzo Hasashi was dead and that the specter was a completely different being. Still, he made sure that Scorpion was gone before he turned to join the others.

Kuai joined Kabal in a sparring session, reveling in the challenge that Kabal’s speed offered the cryomancer. Still, through a long session, Kuai still managed to gain the upper hand - his skill and lessons from childhood giving him the advantage, despite Kabal’s impressive acceleration. 

The cryomancer cycled between the others, providing helpful hints and suggestions, and receiving some in turn. They joked lightly and conversed about their lives outside of the tournament. Kuai described the task that he would undertake once the tournament was over - he was going to take down the Lin Kuei clan and start it from the ground up. After hearing of his plans, Kenshi offered to join Kuai in his task, as he had no other pressing matters to attend to. Kuai was thankful for the extra help, and he said this to the blind swordsman, who nodded in turn.

They sparred for a half-hour before they started to walk back to the arena, taking some time to regain their strength before the upcoming fights. When they did return to the sandy Koliseum, Kuai was slightly alarmed to see that Liu Kang had not returned with Sonya, Johnny, or Jax. He pushed the worries from his mind, focusing on winning his matches as he stared up ahead to the emperor’s family taking their seats.

“You,” Shao Kahn said, pointing directly to Stryker, “step forward, weakling.”

Stryker grumbled under his breath indignantly as he did as Shao Kahn said, kicking at the sand as he stood in the arena. “You will face Kano!” he roared as the crook grinned sharply, striding confidently to the arena.

As the fight commenced, Kuai was slightly disturbed to see that it was a fight of weapons. Stryker wielded his tasers and guns while Kano held his butterfly knives, throwing them occasionally and stabbing at Stryker whenever the cop got too close. Eventually, however, Stryker was able to land his taser on his opponent, shocking Kano with a burst of electricity. The cop pushed his advantage, landing hits onto the Black Dragon with his police-issued batons. Finally, Kano had been defeated.

Shao Kahn was visibly unpleased by Stryker’s victory; he was quick to send his daughter, Mileena, to finish the fight.

And so, it progressed. Stryker lost the fight to Mileena with a chunk taken out of his arm. Nightwolf bandaged it to the best of his ability, waiting for Liu Kang to return so that the god could heal the wound. Kabal took his partner’s place against the human-Tarkatan hybrid, managing to avoid her teeth with his speed as he knocked her unconscious. Then, he faced Sindel, whose screams stopped Kabal in his tracks, eliminating him.

Nightwolf took the former-Black Dragon’s place, facing down Sindel as the Great Spirit shielded him from her shrill voice. His tomahawk buried itself into her lower leg, making her unable to continue fighting as she was forced to yield. Nightwolf was then defeated by a younger-looking Shang Tsung, whose presence angered Kenshi. The blind swordsman volunteered himself to fight the sorcerer.

Kuai held his breath as he watched Kenshi and Shang Tsung battle it out in their fight. It was by no means a clean fight - Kenshi had managed to stab Sento into Shang Tsung’s right upper arm and his lower left abdomen, while the sorcerer had scorched Kenshi’s arm with a fireball and charred his left leg. Just when Kuai thought that the fight could go either way, Kenshi used his telekinesis in a last-ditch effort to send Sento flying through the air - the enchanted sword broke through Shang Tsung’s magical defenses and impaled itself through his chest.

Kenshi moved forward, retrieving Sento from the sorcerer’s body as he raised it in the air, intending to kill the sorcerer who disappeared in a green flash of light. Kenshi howled in anger as Sento struck sand - Shang Tsung had lived yet another day.

Presently, Liu Kang reappeared with only Johnny by his side. “My apologies,” he said as he knelt by Stryker to mend his injuries first. “We found Sonya, but on our way out, we disturbed Ermac who was resting in the Soul Chamber. He lashed out at us and removed Jackson Briggs’ arms in their entirety. I was able to stop them from bleeding out and sent them to the Jinsei Chamber while Johnny held off Ermac. I’m afraid that Sonya and Jax will not be participating in the tournament, anymore.”

“Only Kenshi, Johnny, and Kuai are left,” Nightwolf informed Liu Kang. “Kano, Mileena, Sindel, and Shang Tsung have been eliminated.”

Liu Kang nodded thoughtfully. “Then only Ermac, Scorpion, Goro, and Shao Kahn remain. If Kenshi is able to defeat Ermac again, we may have a chance.”

Now, Kuai looked to the arena where Kenshi was now staring down Ermac, who had just appeared in the sand. The two telekinetic warriors started to fight in earnest. Kuai turned to look at Liu Kang, who had finished mending the wounds of the injured Earthrealmers. “Do you think that Jax will be okay?” the cryomancer asked worryingly.

“He will live,” Liu Kang said slowly, “but the Jinsei is incapable of restoring full limbs. It will likely only heal the stumps of his arms. I told Major Blade this in private - she will return to Special Forces with Lieutenant Briggs to fit him with cybernetic limbs.”

Kuai pursed his lips, feeling sympathy for the Special Forces man as Kenshi tossed Ermac out of the arena, eliminating the soul construct. Shao Kahn pounded his fist on the armrest of his throne in anger. “Scorpion!” he snarled, summoning the hellspawn.

Now, Kenshi fought the specter again. However, the blind swordsman was tired and exhausted from his fights with Shang Tsung and Ermac, and Scorpion was quick to overpower the telepath. Johnny moved into the arena to help Kenshi out of the arena, but Shao Kahn saw the gesture as a challenge. Now, he ordered Johnny to fight Scorpion while Kenshi was brought out of the arena by Liu Kang and Nightwolf.

The actor put up an impressive hold against Scorpion’s furious attacks. However, as Johnny was only relying on his fists and kicks against Scorpion’s hellfire, the unusually long fight was finally brought to a close when Scorpion landed a high kick, knocking Johnny to the sand, unconscious.

Stryker and Kabal moved to pull the actor to the sidelines where Liu Kang revived the warrior. Johnny woke up again, wincing apologetically. “Sorry,” he said, groaning in pain as the burn on his chest started to close. “I tried my best.”

“It’s alright,” Kuai said, even though he was panicking now. The situation was all-too-familiar to the previous tournament where he had been forced to fight the last three Outworlder warriors. 

_And now, he had to face Scorpion._

Kuai, as the last Earthrealm fighter yet again, slowly made his way to the arena. He adjusted his armguards and tightened the blue headband, breathing slowly through his silver mask.

Scorpion growled, his eyes lighting ablaze as hellfire spread down his arms. “Finally, the time has come for me to take my revenge. Now, _Sub-Zero,_ you die!”

He rushed at Kuai in a blaze of fire and fury, but Kuai jumped out of the way of his charge. The cryomancer steadied himself as he slid through the sand, throwing shuriken from his belt at the specter. The metal stars buried themselves in Scorpion’s back, blood starting to trickle down his back.

Whirling around as he growled, Scorpion threw his kunai at Kuai in an attempt to reel him in. However, Kuai grabbed the chain yet again - he had the technique nailed down, and catching it was just a matter of reflex. However, Scorpion had also seemed prepared for this to happen, because his hand glowed with fire as the flames spread down the chain to Kuai’s hand on the other side of the chain.

Thinking quickly, Kuai encased his hand in ice to protect himself from the fire. The Medallion gave his ice the extra reinforcement that it needed to combat the flames, and Kuai was able to hold onto the kunai chain. He reeled Scorpion in, sticking his leg up to catch Scorpion in the jaw in a high kick.

As the specter stumbled back, Kuai pushed forward. Encasing both hands in hard ice, Kuai punched Scorpion’s face and stomach, alternating strikes. With a final drive of his right fist into the specter’s face, Scorpion fell back to the ground, defeated.

Kuai immediately made the ice disappear as Scorpion got onto one knee, glaring up at the cryomancer. It didn’t seem like the specter had noticed that Kuai was able to use ice; now, Scorpion stood onto his feet. “There is nowhere on this earth that you can hide,” he hissed threateningly. “I _will_ find you after the tournament and I _will_ kill you.”

The cryomancer, tilted his head up to look at Scorpion, who was a head taller than Kuai. “Come and get me, then.”

With an agitated snarl, Scorpion disappeared in a whirlwind of hellfire. Kuai turned to the emperor amidst the crowd’s jeers and booing, awaiting his next challenger.

Shao Kahn grinned sinisterly as he looked down at Kuai. “Noob Saibot,” he hissed.

Kuai whirled around to see an inky black circle appear on the ground of the arena a few feet away from the cryomancer; to Kuai’s horror, an inky black figure dragged itself out of the black portal, standing to full height as shadows clung to his lower legs. There was something that scratched at the back of Kuai’s mind as he looked into his opponent’s eyes - _did he know this person from somewhere?_

“Recognize me, little brother?” 

Kuai recoiled from the black-garbed man. “Bi-Han?” he asked in a hoarse whisper.

“Yes; it is I,” the older brother replied as he got into a fighting stance. To his side was an inky, undefined replica of Bi-Han, mirroring his pose. “Quan Chi resurrected me and told me of your existence in the tournament. I had hoped that you had perished, running from the Lin Kuei. Unfortunately, if you want things done the right way, it seems you must do it yourself.”

“Fuck off, you bitch!” Stryker shouted on behalf of Kuai from the sidelines.

Kuai readied himself, not holding back his cryomancy with Scorpion gone. “You won’t get the chance,” he snapped. “I have taken your name and colors to honor your memory and undo the wrongs you have committed.”

“You are not worthy of the name!” Bi-Han snarled antagonistically. “I will rip your insufferable head off of your shoulders!”

With that, the two brothers charged into battle. Kuai summoned two battle axes, which he held in either hand. He threw one at the shadow clone to make it disappear as he hacked at Bi-Han. 

The shadow wraith disappeared, reappearing behind Kuai. The cryomancer sensed his presence immediately and ducked as he whirled around. The cryomancer ducked under the punch as he used an ice knife to bury the blade into Bi-Han’s lower leg. As the knife stuck itself in the wraith’s leg, the ice spread down his leg to anchor it to the ground, immobilizing the leg.

Taking advantage of Bi-Han’s predicament, Kuai encased his fists in ice as he punched Bi-Han’s face over and over again. He continued to punch his older brother’s face until Bi-Han had fallen to the ground. Still, Kuai didn’t give up on his assault. He held the front of Bi-Han’s armor, holding him in place as he drove his fist into the wraith’s face.

Kuai let out all of his anger in every punch. He took the anger he had held for so long - the anger at Bi-Han for not being a better brother - and channeled it into his strikes. Finally, Kuai relented in his punches, continuing to hold Bi-Han by the armor.

“Well?” the shadow wraith asked as he looked up with glowing white eyes. “Do it, then. Kill me.”

Kuai panted as he looked down at his defeated older brother. He could do it, right then and there, if he wanted to. He held the thing that used to be his older brother in his hands. If he wanted to, he could slit his throat.

However, as the cryomancer stood there, the implication of the action hit him. If he killed Bi-Han, how would he be any different than his cold-hearted older brother? He would be a cruel killer as well.

Kuai dropped Bi-Han, shoving him to the ground. “I am not a killer,” he declared loudly. “I am not _you._ We may share blood, but we are _not_ brothers. I disown you!”

Noob Saibot scoffed mockingly. “Still a sheep, after all these years. You better watch your back, _Sub-Zero.”_ With that, the shadow wraith disappeared through another inky black portal, most likely disappearing to the Netherrealm where he had been reborn.

Kuai normally would have taken a moment to grieve, but he felt no remorse for his brother’s fate. Bi-Han, through his cruelty and wickedness, was destined to fall to this fate. This was his doing, and his alone. While Kuai felt sorrow that his brother had fallen to darkness, he knew that Bi-Han had forged this path himself. There was only Noob Saibot. In fact, it had _only_ been Noob Saibot when the man was still alive. So, Kuai let him go.

Now, he looked expectantly at the emperor, having now defeated Scorpion and Noob Saibot. Shao Kahn glowered at Earthrealm’s Champion, raising a hand in a silent command. Suddenly, a gate to the Koliseum opened as the sound of thundering footsteps sounded out.

The crowd started to cheer wildly as Goro walked through the door, a fur cape draped over one of his shoulders. He fixed his dark eyes on Kuai, grinning sinisterly as he threw the cape to the side. “We meet again!” the Shokan thundered. “Now, how do you expect to defeat me without those hooks at your disposal?”

Kuai said nothing to Goro, only focusing on the fight ahead as he got into his fighting stance. The Shokan rushed at Kuai, his four arms held in front of him as he prepared to grab Kuai.

Right when Goro was about to grab ahold of the cryomancer, Kuai slid across the sand between Goro’s legs, crouching low on the other side of the Shokan and facing his back. He created a sword of ice, using both hands to hold onto the handle as he drove it into Goro’s lower right arm, the blade sticking out through the appendage.

The Shokan howled in pain and surprise, whirling around to strike at Kuai, who danced away. While he had done that, the ice from the sword spread down the Shokan’s whole arm, encasing it in ice and preventing Goro from using it. Now, with three arms, Goro was having trouble adjusting to the sudden loss of the limb as he rushed at Kuai.

The cryomancer met him head-on with a sledgehammer made of ice. He drove the flat head of the hammer into Goro’s stomach, keeping him back as Kuai swung the hammer up to connect with the Shokan’s face. Kuai continued in his assault as he rained a volley of ice knives, swords, and hammer strikes. 

Just as Goro was starting to recover, Kuai formed another ice sword. With this one, he made sure to create the edge of the sword such that it would slice through flesh easily. As Goro reached out with his hands, Kuai slashed down with the sword, cutting through Goro’s left lower arm. As the blade cut through bone, almost snapping, Kuai used his cryomancy and the Medallion to keep the sword intact as he sliced through the appendage.

The arm fell to the ground.

Goro howled in agony and horror, clutching at the bleeding stump. “I yield!” he said in a panicked, fearful voice that shocked the onlookers. “I can not lose my arms!!!”

With that, he took off to the door of the Koliseum, disappearing behind the bars as the metal gate closed behind the Shokan.

With a growl of annoyance, Shao Kahn got onto his feet. “It seems that I must do everything myself!” He retrieved the warhammer leaning on his throne, marching down to the sandy arena as he faced Kuai Liang. The emperor pointed the head of his warhammer at Kuai threateningly. “You will die here. Earthrealm is mine to invade and conquer. I will merge the realms together!”

Kuai thought of Satoshi, who was relying on him to win. “Your reign of tyranny ends here!” he shouted. 

With a roar, Shao Kahn rushed at Kuai with a sudden burst of speed that caught the cryomancer by surprise. The impact sent Kuai skidding backward through the sand in a crouch. He was quick to recover, summoning a sword of ice as he hurled an iceball at the emperor.

Shao Kahn batted the projectile down with his hammer, meeting Kuai’s charge. The emperor blocked Kuai’s downward sword strike with the stick of his warhammer.

They traded blows, the clear ringing of the ice hitting metal echoing through the abnormally silent arena. Kuai was starting to tire with the effort of dealing and blocking blows. The previous fights had taken a lot of energy from the cryomancer, and Shao Kahn knew this. The emperor was pushing Kuai to the edge of the arena, and the cryomancer knew that he had to do something.

Thinking quickly, Kuai jumped back to leave an ice statue replica of himself in his wake. Shao Kahn, who had his hammer raised over his head to bring it down, was too late to stop the hammer’s trajectory as it connected with the ice clone. As soon as the hammer came into contact with the ice, it spread rapidly up the hammer and down the emperor’s arms, trapping him in ice.

Panting, Kuai let out a feral yell as he drove his foot into the frozen emperor’s chest, breaking through the ice as he felt the ribcage break. He punched the underside of Shao Kahn’s jaw, buried a knife of ice in his calf, and finally punched the emperor in the face with a fist encased in ice.

The emperor fell to his knees as the auditorium grew silent. Kuai recovered his breath, stalking over to the kneeling form of Shao Kahn as he placed his hands on either side of the emperor’s head. Yelling, Kuai started to tug - with a sickening squelching sound, the cryomancer, now held the decapitated head of Shao Kahn, the spine dangling in the air as he held it up for the crowd to see.

Tossing Shao Kahn’s head to the ground, Kuai turned his back on the shocked and enraged Outworlders as he walked slowly to his friends. They were the only ones cheering and celebrating in the Koliseum, but Kuai couldn’t care less. 

Suddenly, a golden light shone down from the heavens as the voices of the Elder Gods spoke in unison, “Outworld rescinds its claim on Earthrealm - Outworld can not enter Earthrealm with the intent to invade, occupy, or merge with Earthrealm.”

The light disappeared as Kuai fell tiredly to the ground on his knees. He looked up to the happy faces of his friends, nodding in exhaustion. 

“Let’s go home.”


	10. The Lin Kuei

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little short chapter with a nice treat, for once.
> 
> Enjoy!!!

**_Ooh, you make me live._ **

**_Whenever this world is cruel to me,_ **

**_I got you to help me forgive._ **

**\- Queen, “You’re My Best Friend”**

* * *

Kuai huffed, his breath materializing in the wind as he looked through the binocs.

The Lin Kuei temple that had once been his prison stood on the ice cliffs, looming over the snowy valley. Kuai stood at the top of a small snowy hill, looking up to his former home. He resisted the urge to shiver, remembering the awful memories he had of his life in the temple. 

Footsteps approached from behind Kuai through the snow as Kenshi appeared, placing a hand on Kuai’s shoulder.

“What do you see?” the blind swordsman asked.

“The temple is covered head-to-toe in surveillance technology,” Kuai answered, lowering the binoculars. “and there are cyborgs patrolling the entire base of the temple. There is a factory below the temple itself - it produces the cyborgs. If we were to enter through the front entrance, we would be quickly overwhelmed.”

Liu Kang stood behind the two Earthrealmers, standing bare-chested in the cold, frigid climate. The brittle biting wind seemed to not affect the god, who had accompanied them in their journey to eliminate the Lin Kuei. “Then what do you suggest?” 

“There should be a secret entrance just at the bottom of the valley that leads directly to the factory,” Kuai said, pointing down the hill they were standing on. “If we gain access to the factory, we can use the virus that the Special Forces gave us to shut down the entire system.”

Kenshi nodded in approval. “Then, we can hold them off in that area. It sounds like a good plan.”

“Let us venture to this entrance, then,” Liu Kang said. Raising his hand above his head, he teleported the three of them to the bottom of the snowy gorge. 

At the bottom, Kuai identified a large metal grate set into the snow. Using his cryomancy, Kuai froze the bars, punching through the metal to create a large enough opening for each of them to slide down. He went first, the darkness inside swallowing him whole as he entered the Lin Kuei factory.

* * *

_After the final tournament, things had gone relatively peacefully for the Earthrealmers._

_They reunited at the Special Forces base with Sonya and Jax, describing the events that the two soldiers had missed out on. They provided a tour of the base, explaining what their roles were. The description had interested Stryker and Kabal, who immediately asked to sign up for the Special Forces._

_Johnny had done the same, although Kuai suspected it was just to get closer to Sonya._

_In the middle of their reunion, they had been attacked by Sindel, who had teleported from Outworld to try and avenge her fallen husband. However, Liu Kang had intervened and was quick to bring the empress of Outworld to her knees. She had succumbed to her wounds and the Elder God had left them to bring her body back to Outworld._

_Kuai explained to Sonya and Jax about his desire to take back the Lin Kuei from the Grandmaster’s grasp. He described the central system that all the cyborgs were connected to, which caused Sonya to perk up in interest. After resting for a week at the Special Forces base, Kuai had been surprised when Sonya approached him with a USB. She explained that - if he was able to put the virus on the disk into the Lin Kuei system - the cyborgs would all deactivate._

_Thanking her and saying his farewells to the others, Kuai had left the Special Forces base with Kenshi and Liu Kang to complete his task._

* * *

Presently, Kuai led his two companions down a metal tube shaft as he tried to be as quiet as possible. With every step he took, the bottom of his boots would echo loudly on the metal, grating on his nerves. Kenshi and Liu Kang had a similar effect, so Kuai focused his attention instead on keeping an eye out for enemies.

Finally, they came to a large room. Screens were hung on all the walls, with a large computer at the very back of the room. Kenshi unsheathed Sento from his back as the blade glowed blue. “Hurry,” the swordsman urged. “They will notice that we are here.”

Kuai rushed to the large computer in the back, retrieving the virus from a pocket as he started to upload the virus onto the Lin Kuei’s central system. When he saw the bar appear on the screens with the percentage, he called out to the others to let them know as they ran to him.

Suddenly, cyborgs started to rush into the room at the three intruders who were blocking the computer. Together, they held off the robots. Kenshi used his telekinesis to push the cyborgs back and away from the central computer while Kuai used his ice to freeze the cyborgs in place. Liu Kang hurled fireballs and tendrils of lightning that caused the robots to short circuit.

As they finished the first onslaught of cyborgs, three cyborgs entered the room. They were each different than the usual, silver-grey robots with glowing blue eyes. The one in the middle was red with glowing blue eyes. The one on the right was yellow with green eyes, and the one on the left was a dark grey - almost black - with dark red eyes.

Kuai’s breath hitched. “Tomas?”

“You refer to Unit LK-7T2,” the red cyborg spoke. “I am Sektor, Unit LK-9T9; you might also remember Cyrax, Unit LK-4D4.”

“Sektor,” Liu Kang grumbled in annoyance. “Was the defeat at the Mortal Kombat tournament not humiliating or disgraceful enough for you? What foolish thought convinced you to convert yourself into a machine?” 

“After the defeat at the tournament and the death of Sub-Zero,” the red cyborg spoke as the trio slowly made their way to the computer, “I returned to the Lin Kuei and filled my father, the Grandmaster. I realized that my loss in the tournament was due to human error - now, I am superior in every way.”

“Don’t kill Tomas or Cyrax!” Kuai shouted to Liu Kang and Kenshi as the three cyborgs rushed them.

Kuai engaged Sektor, blocking the metal punches and kicks as Liu Kang and Kenshi fought Cyrax and Tomas in the background. Still, the upload bar continued to inch forward. Now, it was at 45%.

Sektor shot a rocket from his chest; Kuai threw up an ice wall between the path of the missile and himself. The rocket connected with the wall of ice, exploding loudly as the ice shattered. When the wall fell, Kuai saw Sektor’s forearm extended. Realizing that the cyborg was going to use his flamethrower, Kuai held up his palm at the cyborg. A stream of ice crystals materialized from the cryomancer’s hand to combat the flames, canceling each other out. 

Kuai turned his head to spare a glance at the large illuminated computer screen. Now, the progress bar was two-thirds complete, sitting comfortably at 67% completion.

To the side, Kenshi was effectively keeping Cyrax at bay with his telekinetic powers. He pushed the cyborg back, pinning him to the wall as Cyrax was engulfed in a blue glow.

Meanwhile, Liu Kang was standing over the body of Smoke’s cybernetic body. He held his hands over Kuai’s best friend, the god’s palms glowing white.

Kuai didn't see what Liu Kang was doing as he was forced to bring his attention back to Sektor, who was now rushing at Kuai to fight close-quarters with him. Kuai welcomed the change in the fight, holding onto two battle axes in either hand. 

He swung the ice axes at Sektor while dodging the whirling saw blades attached to the cyborg’s forearms. While dodging, the saw blade nicked Kuai’s right upper arm, eliciting a hiss of pain from the cryomancer as he dropped the ax in that hand to the floor. Kuai knew that he had to end this quickly. Now that Sektor was standing close to him, Kuai drove the other ax into his leg, sparks flying out from the source of the damage as black oil spilled out.

As Sektor fell to the ground and clutched the injured leg, Kuai was quick to form an ice sword, decapitating Sektor. The cyborg’s head fell off his robotic shoulders, rolling on the ground to rest next to Kuai’s feet.

Now that Sektor had been taken care of, Kuai turned back to Liu Kang and Tomas to see what the good had done to the cyborg.

Kuai gasped quietly.

Sitting up with a confused expression was Tomas, back in his own body. While he had been twelve the day he had been converted to a cyborg, the enenra looked about Kuai’s age - Liu Kang must have reestablished Tomas in his body at his current age. He was wearing a larger form of his silver-grey uniform that he had worn as a child, looking at the flesh on his hands in shock and awe.

Kuai ran to his best friend’s side, crouching low to the ground as he helped Tomas stand on his feet. “What do you remember?” Kuai asked slowly as Liu Kang left them alone, heading to Cyrax and Kenshi.

Tomas frowned, turning his head to look at Kuai with a confused look on his face. Slowly, as he squinted at Kuai’s familiar face, his eyes widened in shock. “Kuai Liang? Is that you?”

Kuai laughed in a way that doubled as a sob of relief, nodding his head rapidly. With Bi-Han and Scorpion not recognizing him at the tournament, it was a relief that Tomas had recognized him, even if it had been so long. “Yes, it's me,” he replied, pulling Tomas in for a hug. “I can't believe that you’re back, Tomas! This past week has been crazy; my _whole life_ has been crazy.”

Kenshi walked up to Kuai and Tomas, nodding at the two in greeting. “Hello,” he greeted Tomas, “welcome back. My name is Kenshi; it's nice to finally meet you. Kuai has told me a lot about you.”

Tomas looked slightly bashful, elbowing Kuai in the side. “You sap,” he teased. “Did you get all sentimental on me the past twenty years?”

“Considering the fact that you’ve been a cyborg for that time, I did,” Kuai retorted playfully, nudging the enenra back in a comforting gesture.

“Liu Kang has restored Cyrax as well,” Kenshi announced as he led the two Lin Kuei brothers to their unconscious comrade. “Unfortunately, there isn't time to save the other cybers. They’ll have to be shut down with the virus.”

Kuai turned back to the screen, seeing that the bar was at 98% completion. Although he was ecstatic with Tomas’s and Cyrax’s revivals, the reality set in as he considered all of the people that would die.

“This is the Lin Kuei’s fault,” Liu Kang reassured Kuai, “not yours. They took these people - kidnapped them - and forced them to be converted into these machines. You are doing them a service, freeing them from slavery to give them their independence in the afterlife. You will honor them with the reformed Lin Kuei under your command.”

Kuai nodded, looking around the control room of the Cyber Lin Kuei. “I want this room to be destroyed,” he declared. “I don't want anything or anyone to find this place.”

As the upload progress bar of the virus reached 100%, Liu Kang smirked. “I think I can help with that,” he said.

* * *

Kuai stood alone in the large throne room of the Lin Kuei temple, starting up at the stone seat.

After exiting the control room with an unconscious Cyrax wearing his yellow uniform, the group entered the Lin Kuei temple to see the ground littered with the metal bodies of the deactivated cyborgs. Kuai hoped that their spirits could finally find peace in death. 

Liu Kang had worked his godly magic, waving his hands in intricate patterns whilst speaking words in an unknown language. Slowly, the metal bodies on the floor disappeared from view, dissolving into silver dust that rose in the air and flew away. Liu Kang had also removed the control room in its entirety - it was simply no longer there. The door leading to it from the Lin Kuei temple was replaced by a solid wall that melded with the rest of the grey stone.

The only thing that Kuai had saved from the control room was Sektor’s decapitated head. The cryomancer wanted to keep it as a reminder of the horrific events that had happened. Furthermore, he wanted to see who had been involved in the massacre of the Shirai Ryu. While he knew that Sektor was involved, he wanted to know if Bi-Han had also known about the horrific deal with Quan Chi.

Now, only Kuai, Tomas, and Cyrax were left in the Lin Kuei temple. Liu Kang had brought Kenshi back to the Special Forces to rejoin the others. The god had left with the promise to find and bring willing people to join the Lin Kuei. Currently, Tomas was with Cyrax in the empty medical bay as Kuai stared up at the stone throne.

A part of him was revulsed by the sight. It had been the throne that the slimy former Grandmaster had sat in. Sektor had also probably sat on the throne at some point as well. Kuai was hesitant to claim it as his own. Slowly, absentmindedly, a hand reached up to touch the Dragon Medallion’s silver metal reassuringly. Slowly, Kuai began to entertain the idea of sitting on the throne. He knew that he had to redeem the Lin Kuei after it had been tainted by the Grandmaster and Sektor - it started when he accepted his role as Grandmaster.

Taking a deep breath, Kuai climbed up the stone steps and turned around, placing his hands on the edges of the stone armrests of the throne. He slowly lowered himself into the seat, exhaling as he looked down at himself sitting on the throne. The moment simply felt surreal to the cryomancer - he couldn't believe that he had finally reached this moment.

Hearing footsteps in the corridor leading to the throne room, Kuai looked down to see Tomas running up to him. He grinned happily as he saw his friend on the throne, bowing respectfully. “Grandmaster, Cyrax is awake now. Would you like to see him?”

Embarrassed, Kuai was quick to join Tomas’s side. “You don't have to bow,” he told the silver-haired enenra. “You’re my best friend.”

“Well,” Tomas said as they walked through the familiar hallways together, “a lot has changed. You’re the Grandmaster now, for the Elder Gods’ sake!”

“You’re not mad?” Kuai asked. “I thought that maybe you would have wanted to be Grandmaster.”

Tomas snorted in amusement. “Ugh; no thanks. I don't have the patience to partake in diplomatic meetings or do paperwork. Besides, I’m not serious enough.” He pushed the door to the infirmary open, leading Kuai inside to the bed at the back of the room.

“Kuai Liang!” Cyrax exclaimed as he perked up. The man was sitting on the edge of the bed, now starting to stand on his feet unsteadily as he walked over to the other two Lin Kuei. “Thank the gods you’re still alive! I've been told by Tomas that I have _you_ to thank for this miracle.”

“I just did what any good friend would have done,” Kuai spoke self-consciously, scratching the back of his neck. “How are you feeling?”

“I feel just as good as I did before I was converted,” Cyrax explained. “It truly is bizarre. I keep waiting for something bad to happen - like waking up from this pleasant dream - but this is actually real. I can’t believe it!”

It was here that the yellow-garbed Lin Kuei fixated a curious look on the cryomancer as he gestured for Kuai to take a seat. “What happened to you in the past twenty years that I’ve been a cyborg?”

Tomas turned to Kuai with interest as the cryomancer took a deep breath, sitting down on the bed across from Cyrax. “Well…”

He proceeded to fill them in on his flight from the Lin Kuei, the adventures with the Shirai Ryu clan, escaping with Satoshi, living as a mercenary, fighting in both tournaments and making new friends, and ending with the attack on the Lin Kuei.

“Only you would accidentally acquire a nephew, you idiot,” Tomas said as he ruffled Kuai’s hair affectionately. Kuai was quick to readjust his hair and refasten the blue headband tied around his forehead, looking at Cyrax. “Now that I am the new Grandmaster, you don't have to stay here. You could leave; live your life away from the fighting and heal from the trauma. I would be a fool to hold that against you and keep you here, Cyrax.”

The man smiled back at Kuai, nodding gratefully. “Thank you. I have always wanted to leave the Lin Kuei and retire to a simpler life. I am tired and worn out; I need an extended vacation.” Kuai smiled happily and nodded in return. 

“Well,” Tomas said as he stretched. “I’m staying here. Someone has to watch over you and make sure you don't burn the place to the ground,” he said cheekily.

Kuai scowled. “That was you,” he pointed out accusingly.

Cyrax chuckled humorously. “I still remember that day; the Grandmaster was furious - I can’t believe you two got away with it.”

“He couldn’t pin it on us,” Kuai explained, turning to huff at Tomas. “Besides, unlike our other genius schemes, that was just one-hundred percent idiocy. It was an accident on _his_ part.”

Tomas shrugged nonchalantly. “What can I say? These things just naturally happen for me.”

* * *

When the Lin Kuei had lost one member of their group with Cyrax’s departure, they instantly gained a new one.

Satoshi ran up to his uncle and father figure in a warm winter jacket, hugging onto Kuai tightly. “Welcome back!” The child looked up to Tomas, who was looking down at Satoshi with curiosity on his face. 

“This is Tomas,” Kuai said, pointing to his best friend as Satoshi stepped away from the hug. “He’s practically my brother - if you want, you can call him your uncle, too,” Kuai added in an afterthought, his eyes twinkling mischievously at the enenra.

Tomas shot Kuai a quick, dirty look before he smiled down at Satoshi. Thankfully, the child had not seemed to pick up on the interaction between the two friends. Tomas ruffled Satoshi’s hair. “Just call me Tomas; did Kuai tell you about me?”

Satoshi nodded. “He told me that you were his brother in the Lin Kuei, even if not by blood. He said that he was very sad when he couldn’t run away from the Lin Kuei with you. Liu Kang told me about turning you from a machine back to a human, though. I’m glad that you two can be friends again.”

Kuai led his nephew and Tomas throughout the entire Lin Kuei temple in a tour of the place, telling stories about some antics that he and Tomas would get up to. At the end of the tour, they were standing in the throne room of the Lin Kuei where Liu Kang was waiting for them patiently.

“I thought that Satoshi needed to stay at the Sky Temple for the teachers to continue his education,” Kuai asked the god with a puzzled tone.

“He does,” Liu Kang confirmed, “However, I have reached a better solution to this problem. Satoshi can live in the Lin Kuei with you. At nine in the morning on the weekdays, I or another Elder God will come to the Lin Kuei to bring Satoshi back to the Sky Temple. We will return him to you at 3:30 in the afternoon.”

“Is that alright with you, Toshi?” Kuai asked, looking down at his nephew. “Speaking from experience, I know that it can get pretty cold around here.”

“I want to stay with you,” Satoshi confirmed, nodding his head firmly. “I don’t want to be separated from the only family I have left.”

“It’ll be busy around here,” Kuai cautioned. “There’ll be a lot of people walking through these halls, soon. I’ll be busy for a lot of the time, training the new recruits and overseeing the activities of the people.”

“My home is with you,” Satoshi stated resolutely. “Don’t worry, dad. I’m not going anywhere.”


	11. Drag Me to Hell

**_Can it be that there's some sort of error?_ **

**_Hard to stop the surmounting terror;_ **

**_Is it really the end, not some crazy dream?_ **

**\- Iron Maiden, “Hallowed Be Thy Name”**

* * *

_Six Years Later…_

“I’m so glad that you could make it,” Johnny frantically spoke as he sped-walked with Kuai and Tomas through the crowds of soldiers in the Special Forces base. “There’s been a demonic invasion from Netherrealm; it’s fucking crazy. These demon fuckers are flying everywhere in Earthrealm.”

“What’s going on?” Kuai asked the former-actor-turned-Special-Forces as they walked into a tent.

“Liu Kang has told us that Quan Chi is trying to poison Earthrealm’s Jinsei Chamber,” Johnny explained as he shut the flaps of the tent shut behind them. “He has a trinket of some sort that is infused with dark energy; if he places it in the Jinsei, Earthrealm will fall to darkness.”

“We’re going to fly to the Chamber to prevent that from happening,” Sonya said at the head of the table. Jax was standing right next to her while Kenshi was sitting in a chair at the table. “Hello, Kuai and Tomas,” the blind swordsman spoke.

Now that the Lin Kuei was starting to grow with many members to fill its ranks, Kuai had kept in touch with his friends with video calls on his phone and laptop. Slowly, Tomas had become familiar with the Earthrealm kombatants as they continued to interact. The group would meet together every other month to reunite and talk about what was going on in their lives.

Kuai was often unable to make these meetings. The biggest and main reason that Kuai didn’t make these meetings, which he sometimes attended on video chat, was because he was extremely antisocial. He had little-to-nothing to contribute to their reunions, and he would just sit there and listen in awkward silence.

Still, Kuai had received an urgent call to arms by Johnny hours ago; the cryomancer had immediately dropped everything as he brought Tomas with him through the portal machine that had been installed in the Lin Kuei temple by the Special Forces, courtesy of Sonya. The cryomancer was wearing the blue uniform he had worn in the tournament; he wore the uniform every day in front of his Lin Kuei students and warriors in his daily life. 

“Right now, Stryker and Kabal are leading the charge to hold back the demon invasion in Earthrealm,” Johnny explained. “Nightwolf came to offer his aid. They’ve contained the invasion to New York, where we’ll have to fly over to get to the Sky Temple.”

“Sonya wants us to fly in helicopters to a forest where a portal to the Sky Temple is,” Jax explained. “She wants me to stay here to lock down the base and order the remaining soldiers to go out. The two of you,” he spoke, addressing the Lin Kuei, “will go with her, Kenshi, and Cage to protect the Jinsei. Right now, Liu Kang is holding down the fort, but he’s struggling to hold off the demons by himself.”

“Any questions?” Sonya asked the group, looking at their shaking heads. “Alright. Break! Stay safe out there, people!”

Kuai walked quickly out of the tent behind Johnny with Tomas following on his heels. He followed Johnny through the Special Forces camp to the mini-airfield, the sound of the blades of the helicopter pounding in Kuai’s ears. He hopped into the aircraft, turning around to help Tomas up with a hand, pulling him in.

The cryomancer also helped Kenshi step up into the helicopter while Sonya pulled herself in, walking to the cockpit as she ordered the pilot to take off, sitting in the seat next to him. Johnny stood behind her, conversing with her and the pilot.

In the past year after the tournament, Sonya and Johnny had become very close. The General seemed to tolerate Johnny’s jokes, and Johnny made it an effort to be more serious around her. Eventually, the two got married only three months after the tournament, in a roundabout way that completely took Kuai by surprise. 

Kuai had remembered the wedding. While a lot of Special Forces administrators had attended, the Earthrealm warriors had also been there to pay witness to the union, Kuai included. In a year after the end of the tournament, Sonya had given birth to a bawling baby girl named Cassandra Carlton Cage.

Speaking of children, Kuai knew about three other children that were also born into the Earthrealm warriors’ families - also after the tournament. Jax - in a rare display of untamed emotion - had broken down to happy tears as he showed his friends the picture of his newborn baby daughter six years ago. He and his wife, Vera, had named her Jacqueline Sonya Briggs. 

Even the Elder God, Kung Lao, had also brought up that one of his human relatives had brought a baby boy into the world - a feisty, crying baby named Jin that was his cousin. 

However, perhaps none of the revelations shocked Kuai more than the quiet admission from Kenshi. The blind swordsman had a secret lover named Suchin, with whom he had raised a toddler named Takeda. Kenshi had left his newborn son to fight in the tournament. He explained that he didn’t want to tell the others because Suchin had crossed with Red Dragon operatives and was in hiding - it was when she came to him for help that the two met.

The kids’ age ranges were between six and seven years old, now. Kuai had met them and been introduced as a close friend to their parents. The kids were enchanted with his cryomancy, which he would use to create snowflakes in the middle of summer. Johnny joked that Cassie loved having Kuai around more than she did her own father.

Kuai shook himself from his thoughts as he stood in the middle with Kenshi and Tomas as the soldiers sat in the seats in the back of the copter, resting their firearms in their laps and between their legs. The cryomancer held onto one of the overhanging straps attached to the roof of the copter as it began to take off.

As they started to climb up in the air, they took off, speeding quickly with a purpose. After a short amount of time, the pilot announced that they were approaching New York. Curious to see the battlefield below, Kuai held onto the strap as he peered out the open side of the chopper, looking down.

It was an utter mess on the streets. Kuai almost didn’t recognize the city that he had lived in for seven years as he took in the horrific sight of the demons that were occupying the streets. 

They charged at barricades that soldiers had set up in the defense of the city, trying to contain the threat in one area. The demons fell to the ground and disappeared in a cloud of ash as they were slain with bullets, explosives, and grenades. However, some of them had either flown or ran past the barricades. They slashed at the soldiers, biting their heads clean off their shoulders or swiping viciously with their claws.

Kuai frowned, turning to face the front as he tried to ignore what was happening below. He realized that the cargo bay doors in the back were also open - they must be getting close to their destination. He would have brought his established Lin Kuei to aid the soldiers, but he had been given short notice in advance and didn’t know how serious the issue was.

Tomas had also been looking out his side of the open door, but quickly turned away. His face was pale and he looked absolutely miserable. Kuai then remembered the enenra’s fear of heights. While Kuai would have usually taken the chance to tease him about it, the situation was too dire; he settled instead for patting Tomas’s back comfortingly. Tomas turned briefly to face Kuai, nodding in thanks.

Now, the sound of footsteps started to approach from the cockpit. Kuai turned around, seeing Sonya approach them and the soldiers with Johnny lagging behind. Sonya started to debrief the soldiers, repeating the important details of the mission as Kuai and Tomas listened closely.

“... Far edge of the forest,” Sonya was saying through the connected headsets. “From there, we access the portal to Liu Kang’s Sky Temple.”

“Where there’s a pissed off sorcerer and his devils waiting for us,” Johnny continued.

A sitting soldier scoffed in disbelief. “Gods… Portals… Flying demons,” he said as he turned to his comrades, shaking his head.

“Blind guys with magic swords…” Johnny trailed off, gesturing with his head to Kenshi.

The blind swordsman let a smirk cross over his face as he turned to the soldiers. “The world has indeed changed. For the worst, if we do not stop Quan Chi.” He explained briefly what the sorcerer was trying to accomplish with the artifact of dark magic and the Jinsei. 

As Johnny was complimenting Sonya after Kenshi had finished, alarms started to ring from the cockpit of the copter. Turning anxiously, Kuai watched as the married couple and parents - Sonya and Johnny - ran to the front of the aircraft where they looked outside. Kuai also followed behind them, leaving Tomas and Kenshi in the back.

As he got up to the front, the cryomancer recoiled slightly in shock. The copters that had been flying in front of them as an escort were being shot down to the ground by fireballs. Johnny turned toward the pilot, barking at him to land.

As the pilot struggled with the controls, the glass abruptly shattered; there was now the steelhead of a kunai embedded in the pilot’s face. He let out a gargled death rattle as his body was pulled out of the copter and through the gaping hole in the window. 

_Scorpion,_ Kuai thought to himself, feeling his blood freeze.

Sonya moved to take the fallen pilot’s place, fumbling with the controls as she attempted to land them when Kuai heard a shout of alarm from Tomas in the back. He and Johnny whirled around to see what had caused the enenra to panic.

There, standing on the edge of the cargo bay door flap, was the Shirai Ryu hellspawn himself. He punched the first two soldiers in the faces, knocking them unconscious as he drew his sword, decapitating the next two seated soldiers who were starting to rise up and fight. Scorpion disposed of the last two soldiers quickly, sheathing his swords as he threw a fireball.

The flame connected with Kenshi in the chest, sending him back. He fell against the back wall of the cockpit and slumped to the ground, unconscious. Scorpion had sent another fireball at Tomas, who was prepared for it. The silver assassin knelt to the ground, letting the fire sail over his head.

“Get over here!” With his feral war cry, Scorpion sent the kunai at Johnny. However, in the years that Kuai had been friends with the other Earthrealm warriors, he had been giving them tips on fighting. One of the things that he had taught Johnny was how to catch projectiles, seeing as he had lost to the hellspawn one too many times.

Now, the lesson proved useful. Johnny reacted instantaneously, snatching the kunai head in the air. “Damn, I’m good,” he praised himself as he yanked on the chain, pulling the specter toward him. Johnny grabbed ahold of Scorpion’s shoulders as he hit him against the walls of the chopper before throwing him back.

Now, Scorpion charged at Johnny, holding his kunai in his hand as a knife as he tackled Johnny to the floor, trying to drive the point into his head. Tomas wrapped around the two, pulling Scorpion off of Johnny as he threw the specter back.

As Scorpion stumbled back, Smoke threw a small ball of smog at the hellspawn’s feet. Scorpion seemed to fall through the floor, only to fall from the ceiling of the copter as he hit the ground again.

Suddenly, he teleported and appeared behind the group with his sword out. As he started to bring the sword down over Kuai’s head, Kenshi - who had awoken again - charged at Scorpion with a yell, tackling him outside. 

Kuai immediately rushed to the side door where the two had disappeared. Looking down the length of the chopper, he relaxed slightly when he saw the two hanging onto the side.

The cryomancer turned to go back into the middle, safe part of the aircraft as he saw dark clouds materialize at the edge of the cargo bay door. Slowly, the shadows grew in size until they dissipated, revealing Noob Saibot in his black outfit that was decorated with skulls. He said nothing, only getting into a fighting stance as he drove his sickles into the remaining soldiers’ heads as they tried to get up.

“Bi-Han,” Tomas snarled, remembering what Kuai had told him of the shadow wraith. “Of course, you had to stick your head in this.”

Saying nothing, he charged at Kuai, Tomas, and Johnny. The three friends met him and his clone in the middle, driving them back with kicks and punches. While Noob Saibot was a formidable foe, he was no match for the three warriors, who knew how the other fought. They adapted to each others’ moves and covered their acquaintances’ weaknesses. Johnny planted the sole of his foot into Noob’s chest, sending the wraith sprawling back.

As Noob was recovering, Johnny yelped suddenly, drawing Kuai’s attention to his friend. The cryomancer turned, seeing that Scorpion was back on the chopper and had tried to strike Johnny. However, the ex-actor reacted immediately, kicking the specter’s jaw with a high kick. Johnny seemed to be holding his own against Scorpion.

Kuai turned back to see that Tomas was struggling slightly against Noob. Feeling anger growing in his chest, Kuai shot an iceball at the shadow wraith, catching him with the projectile as he was frozen in place. 

Suddenly, Kuai felt the ground under his feet start to incline, facing down toward the cockpit of the aircraft. They were falling to the ground rapidly, and Kuai realized suddenly that Johnny and Scorpion were not in the helicopter anymore. Before he could fret about that realization, he heard Sonya yell out in the cockpit as they hit the ground.

As they landed hard, Kuai felt his body experience zero-gravity for a brief second as his head hit the ceiling. He must have blacked out, because when he opened his eyes again, Kenshi and Tomas were standing over him, looking down at Kuai with furrowed brows.

Slowly, Kuai sat up, accepting Tomas’s hand as he was pulled onto his feet. “Scorpion and Noob Saibot are gone,” Kenshi explained as Kuai was helped out of the fallen aircraft. “Johnny fell out of the aircraft by tackling Scorpion. He fought against the two and won; your instruction definitely helped him.”

“He’s with Sonya right now. He helped her out, first,” Tomas said as they got out of the wrecked aircraft. “Sonya is calling for another copter to pick us up. We’ll be up in the air in no time,” he reassured Kuai.

The cryomancer nodded thankfully as they joined Johnny and Sonya. “Do you think that they’ll be at the Jinsei?” Kuai asked in a quiet, timid voice, referencing Scorpion and Noob Saibot.

No one could give him an answer as they stood in silence, waiting for their ride.

* * *

Kuai and the others crouched low in the forest, hiding in cover behind the trees as they looked out into the clearing.

There was nothing but a small group of Netherrealm demons standing at the front of a cave entrance. They were walking aimlessly around the entrance to the portal that would take them to the Sky Temple, keeping an eye out for intruders.

Kuai turned to Sonya as the blonde warrior turned to face the rest of them. She nodded once, bringing her raised hand down in a silent command.

The Earthrealm warriors and the Special Forces foot soldiers charged from the cover of the trees, shooting at the Netherrealm demons. They were cut down effectively by the weaponry, as Kuai ran after Johnny and Kenshi down a path that had been cleared out for them.

Now, the Earthrealmers had entered the cave as soldiers were shooting from the cave entrance, trying to keep the demons from entering the cave. Kuai watched as Kenshi unsheathed Sento, walking slowly near the cave walls as he tried to sense the opening to the portal. 

Johnny mockingly called it the “elevator,” slightly distracting Kenshi from his task. Sternly, Kuai pulled Johnny away from Kenshi as he enabled the blind swordsman to return to the task at hand.

However, Kenshi didn’t need much more time to himself. He quickly located the entrance, muttering words under his breath as characters glowed bright blue on the rock cave walls.

Suddenly, in a flash of light, the portal was open. “Goin’ up!” Johnny called out behind him. Sonya gave the order for the soldiers to fall back as Kuai followed after Tomas and Kenshi, who ran into the portal. 

When the cryomancer stepped onto the other side, he stared down at his feet in shock, taking in the burnt bodies of many Netherrealm demons that were lying on the grounds of the Sky Temple. They had been scorched by fire and burnt by lightning, signifying Liu Kang’s handiwork. Furthermore, Kuai saw that the bodies of the demons were only now starting to disappear into ash, making the time of the kill relatively new.

Kuai heard Johnny and Sonya join them, making the group whole again. The portal closed behind them as the rain poured heavily over their heads, drenching them with the water. They took off toward the main doors of the Sky Temple, pushing through the doors as they rushed together toward the Jinsei Chamber.

Kuai stood behind Kenshi and Johnny as the telepath pushed open the doors to the Jinsei, stepping inside. The cryomancer frowned at the sight that they were greeted with - Liu Kang was lying on his back, being pulled toward Quan Chi. The sorcerer held a golden, circular amulet in his hand with a green jewel set into the middle. 

Johnny reacted immediately, kicking Quan Chi in the back. Oddly, the actor had been engulfed in a green glow, which gave all the warriors pause. Even Johnny was looking at the green aura surrounding him in awe before turning back to Quan Chi. 

The force sent the sorcerer sprawling to the floor, dropping the amulet. It rolled along the floor, right into Liu Kang’s hands. The god immediately grabbed it, holding it protectively from Quan Chi, who was spitting curses as he got back onto his feet.

“You,” he snarled upon seeing the heroic team. “You all have been thorns in my side for too long. I _will_ end your miserable lives, one day; you will serve as undead warriors under my hand!”

Suddenly, in a dark green burst of light, the sorcerer was gone. He had known that there was no hope in retrieving the amulet, now that it was in Liu Kang’s hands and the Earthrealm warriors were there.

“Let us follow him,” Liu Kang urged. “We must end this, now. He must answer for his crimes.”

“Do you know where he has gone?” Tomas asked curiously.

Liu Kang nodded. “There is only one place he could have gone; his fortress in the Netherrealm. I will bring us there, and we will fight him, only if you desire to.”

Sonya nodded resolutely. “Let’s end this, once and for all. I want to raise my daughter in a world without that sorcerer in it.”

Nodding in agreement, Liu Kang raised his hands to the sky; they all disappeared from the Jinsei, traveling to the Netherrealm.

The teleportation was unusually rough and unsteady, making Kuai stumble in the landing. It must have been because Liu Kang was slightly injured and exhausted, or that entering the Netherrealm was more difficult than teleporting to other realms. 

Already, even though they were standing in the center of Quan Chi’s fortress, Kuai could feel the heat affecting him. He regretted not having his silver mask with him, but he hadn't worn it since the tournament. Instead, he focused on staring down Quan Chi who was being defended by Scorpion and Noob Saibot.

“It was foolish for you to chase after me,” Quan Chi sneered at Liu Kang. “Your powers are weaker in the Netherrealm, whilst my powers and the powers of my warriors are stronger. What chance do you think you have?”

“Now!” Liu Kang commanded as the Earthrealmers charged.

Kuai headed immediately for Noob Saibot, leaving Johnny, Sonya, and Kenshi to deal with Scorpion and Quan Chi. Tomas joined the fight against the shadow wraith. While they had been able to push Noob back on the airship, they were struggling, now. As Quan Chi had pointed out, the Netherrealm fighters were much stronger. Noob was able to conjure _three_ shadow clones to aid in the fight, forcing Kuai and Tomas to take the defensive. While Kuai was more comfortable with defensive maneuvers, thanks to his flexibility and speed, Tomas was struggling as he tried to push the shadows back.

Kuai had just disposed of the shadow clone he was fighting, sprinting to Noob Saibot as he kicked him to the ground with his foot. When Noob landed on the ground, the two shadow clones that Tomas had been fighting disappeared. Kuai had just buried an ice knife into Noob’s upper right thigh when he felt an excruciating amount of pain in the back of his left shoulder.

“GET OVER HERE!!!”

_Aw, shit._

Kuai felt himself get yanked backward and off of Noob, leaving Tomas to fend for himself. Kenshi, who had been helping Sonya fend off Quan Chi, saw Tomas’s vulnerability and ran to help the enenra against the overpowered shadow wraith. 

Now, Kuai was shoved off of the kunai that had been buried in his shoulder. As the weapon slid out of his skin, the cryomancer willed ice to appear on the wound, sealing it shut to prevent bleeding. Furthermore, the cold numbed the pain, which would be helpful against his fight with Scorpion.

Johnny, who had been fighting Scorpion until he was knocked to the ground, stood up quickly to help, but Kuai shook his head. “Go help Sonya!” he shouted, hastily moving backward to avoid the flaming foot that had been inches from coming into contact with his face. In retaliation, Kuai stuck his leg out in a low sweep, catching Scorpion’s legs as he tried to trip him. However, before the specter could hit the ground, he teleported, appearing quicker than usual behind Kuai, kicking him from behind to the ground.

As Kuai turned around on the ground to face Scorpion, he saw the silver glint of the metal of his sword swinging down. Reacting immediately, Kuai lifted his hands that held an ice sword, the Dragon Medallion helping him keep the ice intact.

Scorpion began to push his weight against the interlocked swords, standing over the cryomancer as he forced Kuai to lie down on the ground, the only thing saving his life being the sword of ice. “You die today, Sub-Zero,” Scorpion hissed in a promise. Kuai grit his teeth, kicking Scorpion's right leg. The specter fell again; in a truly ironic circle of fate, Scorpion’s sword swiped down at Kuai’s face as the specter fell, slicing open the nearly-faded wound over his right eye again - the same wound that Bi-Han had given him as a child.

Kuai howled in pain - thankfully, his eyelids had reacted to the incoming strike and protected him from being blinded. Biting back curses, Kuai got back onto his feet unsteadily, blinking through the blood that trickled into his lashes.

Scorpion, who had teleported away from Kuai and held his sword, paused as he looked at the cryomancer. Kuai panted through the stinging pain, taking short labored breaths as his chest heaved. He held dual ice swords, one in either hand, as he stared warily at the sword that Scorpion was holding upright. Kuai could see the tip of the blade that was stained red from his blood. Kuai whirled the blades in his hands as a show of flair, starting down Scorpion.

However, the specter was standing unnaturally still. He was starting at Kuai’s reopened scar, studying it with an interest that made no sense to Kuai. Slowly, Scorpion started to lower his sword slightly, looking at Kuai with a different look in his eyes. “You…” Scorpion said slowly, “You look like...”

With his guard down, Kuai hurled an ice ball at Scorpion, freezing him in place.

While it was a cheap move (he would have laughed if the circumstances weren’t so dire), Kuai knew that he had to do everything and anything he could to win. He rushed at Scorpion, encasing his fists in ice as he punched the specter in the face three times. Scorpion fell to the ground, unconscious.

Suddenly, Kuai heard Sonya cry out in alarm. “Johnny!”

Kuai immediately whirled around, eyes widening at the sight. Noob had knocked out Kenshi and Tomas; the two were lying on the ground with no apparent life-threatening wounds. However, as soon as Noob had incapacitated the two warriors, he had snuck up behind Johnny, who had been fighting Quan Chi with Sonya. There was a knife sticking out of Johnny’s chest as the ex-actor fell to his knees, looking down in shock.

Immediately, Kuai and Liu Kang rushed to the scene. Sonya moved away to fight Quan Chi as Kuai pulled Noob Saibot away from his friends, facing him down in anger.

Noob spoke for the first time in their interaction in the Netherrealm. Kuai could hear the satisfied, smug smirk in his voice. “You will all die down here. He will be the first to become a minion for Quan Chi. Soon, you will become the only thing you ever have been; a slave and servant.”

Kuai saw in his periphery a horrifying sight; in the blood-red pool of blood that was in the center of the room, a yellow-veined figure was starting to rise from the depths. It had Johnny’s facial features and hair; Kuai realized with a sick feeling that as Johnny was dying, this _thing_ was taking his place. The cryomancer stared down at the person who had done this, spitting hatefully. 

“I'm going to fucking kill you,” Kuai roared, completely forgetting that this being was his older brother.

They two charged at each other, the rage fueling Kuai in the fight. He channeled every bit of energy that the Medallion could offer him, and then pushed out a little more. Kuai shot icicles, shuriken, knives, and even a javelin at one point to quickly remove the clones as he engaged in kombat with Noob.

Kuai used a bo-staff made of thick ice to bring it down over Noob’s head with such ferocity that it snapped in two, shattering into fragments of ice onto the floor. Still, Kuai pushed his pursuit. He sliced and hacked at Noob with ice swords, swung ice hammers into his ribs, and sliced his legs with a knife to bring him to his knees. Finally, Noob had been brought down. 

Bi-Han looked up at Kuai - there was a rare hint of fear behind those blank white eyes. 

“Who’s the wolf, now?!” Kuai snarled.

With a feral roar, Kuai brought his elbow down over his former older brother’s head, making him collapse to the floor, unconscious.

Now that two of the three threats had been taken care of, Kuai turned to Liu Kang, who was kneeling over Johnny’s prone form. Tomas and Kenshi had awoken and were helping an enraged Sonya avenge Johnny by brutally beating down Quan Chi.

Kuai rushed to Johnny’s side as Liu Kang stood up, facing the perversion of Johnny that was rising in the pool of blood. The god raised his hands to the rising revenant, shooting crackling tendrils of lightning at the figure. The revenant screamed in agony as it started to sink. As Sonya, Tomas, and Kenshi fought Quan Chi and weakened him, Johnny’s revenant started to fall, almost disappearing from its entirety.

“The link to Quan Chi is not completely severed!” Liu Kang called out to the three facing the sorcerer. As Sonya responded in acknowledgment, Kuai turned briefly to look over, watching as Sonya kicked Quan Chi’s legs apart as she towered over him. She didn't listen to the sorcerer’s pathetic protests, raising her foot to her waistline before slamming it down onto the sorcerer’s crotch, twisting her heel into the sensitive spot as the sorcerer squealed like a pig.

Kuai snorted with derision, not feeling any sympathy for Quan Chi whatsoever. He turned back to the pool of blood, watching as Johnny’s revenant gave its last scream before exploding in a red cloud that swept over the entire circular room.

The cryomancer stepped back to make room for the worried wife and Liu Kang as the god knelt to the ground, starting to heal Johnny’s wound. When he stepped away, Sonya cradled her husband’s form and looked up at Liu Kang. “Is he going to make it?” she asked in a fragile, uncertain tone.

“Of course I am,” Johnny’s raspy voice said from her arms, grinning up at her weakly. “Who else is going to teach Cassie to go for the balls in a fight?”

Sonya let out a relieved sob, burying her face in his chest as she hugged him tightly. Johnny returned the hug as Kuai turned his head away, giving the couple their private moment.

“I think something’s changed,” Kenshi spoke up, gesturing towards the fallen bodies of Scorpion and Noob Saibot.

The group all turned to look at what Kenshi was pointing out. Kuai took a sharp inhale of breath as he looked at the skin complexion of the unconscious fighters. Their skin was more human in appearance, and as Tomas rushed to lift their eyelids, the pupils were normal.

Kuai’s head was spinning in confusion as he looked up to Liu Kang, who was nodding slowly. “The effect of me decoupling Quan Chi’s magic must have had an amplified effect, freeing Scorpion and Noob Saibot from his control.”

“Where is he?” Kuai asked, scanning the room wildly for the sorcerer that was no longer there.

“He must have taken off like the coward he is,” Tomas scoffed with derision. “We should stop pursuing him, even if I _want_ to. He has probably already called off the demons from Earthrealm, now that he doesn't have the amulet anymore. Besides, Johnny had a near-death experience.”

Liu Kang nodded slowly. “We will return to the Special Forces base,” he decided, looking down at the unconscious forms of Hanzo and Bi-Han. “Let us take them, as well.”

Kuai resisted the urge to throw up as Tomas placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.


	12. The Second Death Hurts Worse Than the First

**_If you were dead or still alive,_ **

**_I don't care (nothing can care about)_ **

**_I don't care... (I'm taking care of it)._ **

**_And all the things you've left behind,_ **

**_I don't care (you won't be there for me.)_ **

**_I don't care... at all._ **

**\- Apocalyptica (ft. Adam Gontier), “I Don’t Care”**

* * *

Kuai nodded thankfully toward the medic who had placed a large gauze over his right eye where the scar had reopened. While it would be a pain to have it heal on its own again, Kuai didn't want any stitches; he had healed from it naturally the first time - he'd do it again.

Johnny, in the bed beside the cryomancer, looked at Kuai in admiration. “You are fucking hardcore for a 29-year-old guy,” he noted.

“Or a complete fucking idiot,” Kuai pointed out. While he had, at first, detested Johnny’s jokes, Kuai found himself adding to them with his own wit and dry humor. Kenshi and Tomas also joined in on their game; it annoyed Sonya to no end.

“I can't believe that you’re fucking 29,” Johnny grumbled. “What I would give to be that age again. You just wait until you get to this age; you won't be able to do those spins and kicks.”

“Not if I continue to stretch and not become a lazy-ass like you,” Kuai said fluidly back, adjusting to only seeing vision out of one eye. He turned around to look over the silver shoulder pad of his blue Lin Kuei uniform, looking at the unconscious forms of Hanzo and Bi-Han on the beds. “When do you think they’re going to wake up?” he asked quietly, more to himself than to Johnny.

The ex-actor frowned. “Hey, don't worry about it, man. They’re themselves, now. They'll realize that they care about you, and you’ll finally get your happy ending.”

“What if they don't?” Kuai asked, turning back to Johnny. “Bi-Han hated me before he died; he was already Noob Saibot in life. As for Hanzo… I'm not sure if he cared about me. I think he still distrusted me because I was Lin Kuei.”

“If they don't accept you,” a voice called out from the doorway, “then they’re idiots.”

Kuai and Johnny turned to see Kabal and Stryker with Nightwolf and Tomas behind them. They all entered the infirmary, sitting at the ends of the occupied beds. Nightwolf and Stryker sat at the end of Johnny’s bed whilst Tomas and Kabal sat at the end of Kuai’s bed.

“How are you guys?” Kuai asked the three warriors who had led the ground defenses against the demon hordes.

“It was rough,” Stryker admitted. “They were swarming everywhere; we were about to be overrun by them when they seemed to hear something. Then, they just took off. They disappeared into these randomly appearing red portals that just came out of nowhere. I wasn't about to complain about it,” he joked.

“Sonya told us about what had happened,” Kabal spoke up, looking at Kuai with worry. “She told me that Johnny had been nearly killed, but Liu Kang healed him. How are you, though? That bandage doesn't look pretty.”

Wincing, Kuai reached up to unwrap the bandages, removing the gauze that was covering his right eye. As it was on full display, hisses and winces of sympathy filtered throughout the room.

“That bad, huh?” Kuai joked, trying to lift the atmosphere.

“It crossed right over the old one,” Nightwolf said with a tone of disbelief. “only it’s a lot deeper. It's the _exact_ same scar - did Bi-Han do that to you, again?”

“No,” Kuai denied, shaking his head. “It was Scorpion, as a matter of effect.” He chuckled to himself. “It’s kind of funny, isn't it? Two former brothers that gave me the same scar - it’s oddly poetic. Tomas, when are you going to have your turn?”

“Never,” Tomas spat, looking revolted by the idea. “I’m _never_ betraying you, Kuai. You can count on me to be the brother you’ve always wanted.”

“You’ve always been that for me,” Kuai reassured Tomas. “I know that it will never change; thank you.”

“Jesus,” Jax said as he walked into the infirmary with Kenshi. The metal-armed man was staring at Kuai’s scarred eye. “Can you still see out of that eye?”

“I can,” Kuai confirmed as he re-wrapped the gauze to the area, hiding his scar from view to ensure it didn't get infected. “Thankfully. I was very fortunate - if my eye had been opened when the cut was made, I don't think I could have said the same in the aftermath.”

“We’re all sorts of fucked up, aren’t we?” Kenshi smirked as he leaned against the wall. “I wonder if Liu Kang intentionally chose us because of that.”

There was a pause.

Johnny started to snicker.

Stryker snorted, covering his mouth with his hand.

Suddenly, the infirmary erupted in laughter, the men all laughing and howling in laughter together. “Oh, gods,” Tomas exclaimed, wiping tears from his eyes, “you know, he probably did. It makes it easier to follow him into a tournament of death if you’re not one-hundred percent sane!”

Jax wheezed, making a sound that was not unlike a dying donkey. This only sent the guys off into another bout of laughter. It was only when Sonya came into the room with a confused look on her face that they started to pull themselves together.

“Oh, geez,” Kabal said, shaking his head with mirth. “Hey, Sonya.”

She smiled slightly, nodding at everyone. “I’m glad to see that you’re back in high spirits,” she said, standing next to Jax who was leaning against a wall. “What were you laughing about?”

“Just something stupid, honey,” Johnny dismissed, looking up at his wife as she moved forward to sit by his side on the bed. “How’s Cassie?”

“I’ve just set her down to sleep,” the General responded, smiling softly down at her husband with a look of pure adoration. The look made Kuai’s chest constrict in a good way - he hoped that one day, he could find someone who would love him as much as the couple did right now.

Kuai turned away from the couple as he looked at Stryker, who was in the process of sticking his finger down his throat and miming gagging sounds. This earned an elbow to the side by Kabal, which Kuai was thankful for. Kenshi snickered at Stryker’s expense as the enraged cop tackled his buddy to the ground.

The cryomancer looked around at his friends in the room with a smile on his face. 

* * *

“That’s such bullshit!”

“Just take the damn cards, you sore loser,” Kuai called out to Stryker, who was sitting in a circle on the floor with Kabal, Tomas, Jax, and Nightwolf. They were playing BS together, and the cop had failed in calling out Tomas. Stryker grumbled under his breath but still grabbed the cards good-naturedly.

Kuai, who was sitting in the bed and reading a novel, flipped a page. “Hey, do you want to join in?” Kabal asked Kuai.

“Aw, but I’m winning right now!” Tomas whined, showing his three cards.

“We’ll give you the win and start over if Kuai is going to be dealt in,” Jax reassured the enenra as Kuai sighed, standing up to walk over to the group. He had gotten the gist of how to play the game after hearing Jax and Stryker explaining it to Nightwolf and Tomas. The cryomancer nodded once, sitting down into the space that had been cleared in the circle for him.

After playing a good number of rounds in the game, Kuai had called out people five times. While he had been reading, he had occasionally looked over to the game to pick up on certain tells that the players had. Stryker simply couldn’t lie to save face, while Nightwolf would tap his cards twice before putting them down with his lie. Jax’s tell was simply the complete opposite; he’d be too stiff and unreactive to his cards. 

“Two jacks,” Kuai said, placing the right cards onto the slowly accumulating deck.

“I honestly can’t tell if you’re telling the truth, or not,” Kabal studied Kuai’s face. The cryomancer simply shrugged in reply. “Well, you can call it if you want. I won’t be the one taking cards,” he warned the group.

“Everyone says that when they’re bluffing,” Jax rebutted confidently, calling BS on Kuai’s call. The cryomancer flipped his cards on the top of the deck, eliciting a groan from Jax as he was forced to take the cards.

Suddenly, three people on the medical staff rushed into the room, heading straight to Hanzo and Bi-Han, who were still lying unconscious on their beds. Kuai frowned as he turned to look at what was happening, his friends also watching as well. 

Sonya stood up from Johnny’s sleeping side, walking over to the medics. “What’s wrong?” she asked them. “Has something changed?”

“Their heart rate changed on the electrocardiogram,” the female doctor spoke, adjusting the morphine drip on Bi-Han’s side. “They should be waking up at any moment, give or take five minutes. When they wake up, they can be released from the infirmary.” With that, the medics disappeared as soon as they had come, leaving through the door.

Kuai slowly and hesitantly got onto his feet as the cards were put away. He walked to Bi-Han’s bedside, sitting down in the chair next to his older brother. Kuai gently took Bi-Han’s hand, gripping it as he looked at his brother’s unmasked face. He hadn’t seen his brother without the mask since Bi-Han had been 16 when he wore the mask for the rest of his life. Kuai had been 4-years-old at the time; seeing his brother’s face after all that time was… odd.

Kuai also noted that Bi-Han’s appearance hadn’t changed at all since the day he had died about a year and a half ago. In that time, Kuai had gained many years in the age difference between the two; Bi-Han had been 36 when he died. Now that Kuai was 29, the gap of twelve years between the two had shrunk to a difference of seven years. The same could be said about Hanzo, who had died when he was 32. Now, there was only a difference of _three_ years between them.

The revelation made Kuai chuckle softly in astonishment; he was nearly the same age as the Shirai Ryu, now. 

Slowly, Bi-Han’s eyes fluttered open. He frowned, looking around the room as Kuai let go of his older brother’s hand. “Bi-Han?” Kuai asked quietly, causing the older brother to turn to look at his younger sibling. “How are you feeling?”

Bi-Han’s eyes narrowed as he took in the sight of Kuai. “What are you doing here, you traitor?” he hissed, making Kuai recoil slightly. “Have you come to accept your death after leaving the clan?”

“The Grandmaster is dead!” Tomas snapped. “Sektor took his place temporarily, but Kuai killed him. He’s the Grandmaster of the Lin Kuei, now. You should respect him more.”

Bi-Han sneered. “Don’t make me laugh, _Tomas._ Any clan with this soft-hearted idiot at the head is doomed to fail. I won’t take part in anything with _him_ leading it.”

The older brother threw off the covers and pushed past the Earthrealmers, stalking out of the infirmary as Kuai watched him go. The cryomancer knew that this was likely to happen, but it didn’t lessen the pain of watching Bi-Han dismiss him. 

“God, what an asshole,” Sonya snapped irritably. 

“Shouldn’t we stop him?” Nightwolf asked in concern. “If he is allowed to run loose in the world, there is no telling what he could do.”

Suddenly, there was a flash of lightning with the booming sound of thunder as Liu Kang appeared in the infirmary. “I stopped Bi-Han from leaving,” he informed the group as he walked over to them. “Nightwolf is right; we must keep Bi-Han contained and rehabilitate him to fight for Earthrealm and the Forces of Light.”

“That won’t happen if he stays with me,” Kuai stated bluntly, already knowing this to be a fact. “He despises me; it would be better if he became a Special Forces agent. There are more people to keep an eye on him here, and I know that he would be left in good hands.”

“Are you sure, man?” Jax asked softly. “I know that he may not like you, but he’s your brother. We all know that you still care about him; letting him go like that can’t be easy.”

“I would rather meet again after a long hiatus with friendly smiles,” Kuai said firmly, “than to have to deal with his anger and spite every day. This is the right decision.”

“I will personally oversee his change,” Liu Kang reassured Kuai solemnly. “I will talk to him about the events in his life that turned him to the dark; slowly, I will unravel the walls and make him see the truth.”

Kuai gave a small smile that didn’t reach his eyes as he stared down at the bed that his older brother had been lying in minutes before. “Thank you,” he said quietly.

As Liu Kang disappeared in a flash of light, there was a groan in the other bed. Hanzo sat up in the bed, frowning at Earthrealmer warriors. “Where am I?” he demanded. He looked down at his hands and was taken aback by the sight of human hands. “I’ve been restored. How?”

Kuai, standing in the back of the group and far away from the bed, couldn’t help but stare at the Shirai Ryu as Sonya explained everything. He looked just the same as he had when he had left that fateful day. His hair was not tied back in the ponytail, the raven strands falling over his shoulders. His brown eyes were a comforting sight that Kuai thought he would never see again.

Then, as those brown orbs landed on Kuai’s figure, Hanzo frowned angrily. The gauze, which covered Kuai’s eye, completely covered the scar and did not show it to the Shirai Ryu. Perhaps, if the man had seen the wound, he would have recognized Kuai Liang. However, when the cryomancer saw the glare, he averted his eyes and whispered to Kenshi under his breath. 

“I’m going,” Kuai said under his breath so that only the telepath could hear him. “I… I can’t deal with this. Tell the others that I’m sorry I couldn’t say goodbye in person.”

Kenshi nodded once in reply as Kuai walked behind the people and out of the room. Tomas followed after his friend until they were standing in the hallway. Kuai took a shaky breath, looking down to see his hands. They were trembling violently, and Tomas held them in his own gentle grip, stilling them.

“It’s going to be alright,” Tomas said firmly. “Everything is going to be fine, okay? We’re going to get through this.”

Kuai took a deep breath, nodding once as he tore the bandages off of his face. “Let’s go home,” he said dully, walking with Tomas in silence to the portal that would take them home. He had regained two of his fallen brothers but had lost them anyway. 

It was heartbreaking.

* * *

Satoshi was waiting for Kuai and Tomas in front of the portal, eyes lighting up when he saw them step through into the Lin Kuei temple.

“You’re back!” he exclaimed, walking over to them to hug them in greeting. “How did the mission go?”

Kuai’s nephew was eighteen-years-old now, applying to colleges. He wanted to be a professional photographer, which Kuai encouraged wholeheartedly in the past six years. He had bought the growing teenager his own camera and other accessories. While Kuai may have been a little biased, he thought that the pictures were beautiful. Satoshi enjoyed taking pictures of wildlife, especially small birds and flowers.

Satoshi would be leaving for college soon. He had been accepted to his dream college back in New York with a spectacular photography program; Kuai was proud of him, but still sad with the revelation that he would be leaving. 

Now, Satoshi took in the grim faces of Kuai and Tomas as a concerned look passed over his face. “What happened? Did something go wrong?”

“We stopped Quan Chi from poisoning the Jinsei,” Kuai acknowledged as they walked out of the room into the halls, moving toward the cryomancer’s office, “but he escaped. We pursued him to his fortress in the Netherrealm where we fought Scorpion and Noob Saibot. Something happened; it brought Scorpion and Noob Saibot back from the dead.”

Satoshi’s eyes widened. “So, they’re human now? That’s great news!”

“Well,” Tomas hesitated. “They… kind of… just... shunned Kuai?”

There was a pause.

“I can’t believe it!” Satoshi exclaimed with a passionate burst of anger. “They’re idiots; why would they do that? I don’t understand. You’re the most kind, patient person I’ve ever known, and I’ve met a lot of people through our traveling as a kid.”

“They’ve just come back to the land of the living,” Kuai defended their position as he pushed the door to his office open, walking inside as he let Tomas shut it tight. “Besides, I told you how Bi-Han despised me for the majority of his life. As for Hanzo… he thoroughly believes the story that Quan Chi wove for him. It will be difficult to prove otherwise.”

“What if you showed him Sektor’s files?” Tomas asked, deep in thought. “Show him the interaction between that asshole and the sorcerer. That should convince Scorpion that Quan Chi had lied to him the whole time.”

Kuai smiled gratefully. When the Lin Kuei had been firmly established with many people to fill its ranks, he had made Tomas his First-in-Command. The enenra acted as an advisor that also doubled as a bodyguard, not that there was a need for one, yet. 

“It could work,” he agreed. “However, I would have to approach Hanzo and convince him that I only wanted to talk. He doesn’t trust me at all; it would be difficult to get him to listen in the first place.”

“Would it help if I was there?” Satoshi asked suddenly.

“You shouldn’t worry about this,” Kuai said in a soft tone. “You should be more worried about going to college in three months. This isn’t your problem, Toshi.”

“But it’s my father and you,” Satoshi argued. “I want to get you two back on good terms again. I can come back on one of my breaks, and we can go talk to my father together.”

Kuai sighed, looking at the determination in Satoshi’s eyes. While the son didn’t share his father’s untamed anger, he did obtain Hanzo’s tenacity. Once he had an idea in his mind, there was no way of stopping him from accomplishing it. Kuai had learned this lesson over the years in which he had raised the child.

“If that’s what you want, then you can come,” Kuai finally spoke. “However, I don’t want you stressing over this unnecessarily, okay? You should be more concerned about your own life.”

Satoshi nodded, a pleased smile on his face. “Of course. Thank you, dad.”

Kuai found it odd that Satoshi could refer to Hanzo as his father while he called the cryomancer his “dad.” However, as Satoshi had explained to Kuai once, he called Hanzo his father because he had been, at one point. However, the boy firmly believed Kuai to be more of a father than Hanzo had been - this was the reason that Satoshi had called him “dad.” 

While it was undoubtedly odd, Kuai did his best to accommodate for the change when Satoshi started to call him that regularly. Over the years, Kuai was accustomed to the label, having embraced it in its entirety. 

“I’m going to miss you so much when you leave, Toshi,” Kuai said genuinely as he hugged Satoshi - his _son_ \- tightly. “I’m so proud of you, you know that?”

The boy chuckled. “Even though you tell me that every day, it never loses its meaning. I’m going to miss you too, dad. I’ll call whenever I can. Then, one day, we’ll fix this mess. One day, everything will go back to the way it should be.”

Kuai shut his eyes, nodding once as Tomas joined in the hug. They would find a way to get through this; one step at a time.


	13. The New Generation

**_I wish I could fix you,_ **

**_And make you how I want you._ **

**_I wish I could fix you,_ **

**_And I wish you could fix me._ **

**_I wish I could heal you,_ **

**_And mend where you are broken._ **

**_I wish I could heal you,_ **

**_And I wish you could heal me…_ **

**\- The Offspring, “Fix You”**

* * *

_Ten Years Later…_

Kuai strode confidently into the Special Forces base with a duffel bag thrown over his armored shoulder and another bag held in his hand. He walked into the main building, heading to the room that Johnny had told the cryomancer to enter before Kuai had gotten there. 

He pushed the door to the training room open, stepping inside as he heard the sounds of fighting and sparring. Kuai grinned, seeing the four inhabitants look up in surprise as he dropped the bags to the floor.

“Uncle Kuai!” Cassie and Jacqui cried out in unison, running over to him to hug him tightly. “It’s been so long since we’ve seen you!” Cassie exclaimed, stepping back as she smiled happily.

“Nice beard,” Jacqui complimented as she grinned up at him. “It really suits you.”

“I’ve been trying it out,” Kuai admitted, shrugging slightly. “So far, the reception has been good, so I guess I’m keeping it, for now.”

Takeda and Jin moved to join the girls. “Hi, Master Liang,” Takeda greeted, polite as ever. Jin gave Takeda a perplexed look. “Okay, how do all of you know who this guy is? Am I the only one who doesn’t know?”

“He’s Earthrealm’s Champion,” Jacqui rolled her eyes in disbelief. “You know, the guy that killed Shao Kahn and saved Earthrealm in the Mortal Kombat tournament?”

“Kung Lao has told me a lot about you, Kung Jin,” Kuai spoke in acknowledgment. “I’ve been called here by your supervisor - Johnny - to oversee your training for the month. As I’m sure that you already know, this will not be easy. You’ll hurt a lot, but it’s better to be hurt in a controlled environment than out there.”

“Master Hasashi has taught me a lot,” Takeda spoke up as they moved to the center of the room. “I like to think that I’m well-prepared.”

“I’ve been principled in both the teachings of the Shirai Ryu and the Lin Kuei,” Kuai spoke, looking at Hanzo’s pupil. In the four past years, Hanzo had left the Special Forces after he had been cleared by Liu Kang to leave. In his newfound freedom, Hanzo had rebuilt the Shirai Ryu. Kuai hadn’t seen the clan yet or the new General.

As for Bi-Han, the man was still residing with the Special Forces. He had been more difficult than Hanzo, which didn’t totally surprise Kuai, but Liu Kang confirmed that Bi-Han had made a few friends in the Special Forces group, which made Kuai happy. With nowhere else to go, the older brother remained with the Special Forces. Kuai hadn’t seen Bi-Han on his way in, and he hoped that it would stay that way.

“I know that each of you has received your own training,” Kuai spoke to the group as a whole, “but it always helps to have another person to point out things that someone else may have missed. Now,” he said, getting into his stance as he looked directly at Cassie, “let’s start.”

* * *

After a good three hours, the 16-year-olds were lying on the ground, panting from exhaustion. Takeda groaned as he was the first to get onto his feet, helping up Jacqui first. Cassie sat up, puffing as she struggled to regain her breath.

“You’re all doing well,” Kuai said, only sporting a mild sweat in comparison to the worn-out teenagers. “Johnny, Hanzo, and the Shaolin did a good job teaching you how to properly defend and attack, but the issue is your finesse and strategy. You strike wildly and hope that it will work; you need to quickly identify what works and what doesn’t, and then work from there.”

Kung Jin groaned as he was helped up by Takeda. “Gods, we have a full month of this crap? Someone, kill me now.”

Kuai frowned. “If we don’t do this, you _will_ die out there. We’re done for today; meet me here tomorrow in the morning at eight; we’ll start with warming up before getting into sparring. For now, rest and recover. You’ll need your strength and energy for tomorrow.”

The cryomancer left the training room, picking up his duffel bags on the way out. He walked through the halls, nodding at the passing personnel who recognized Kuai’s familiar presence. Kuai continued to walk until he reached Sonya’s office. He was about to knock on the door when he paused, hearing shouting from behind.

The voices were too muffled to make out any words, but Kuai refrained from knocking on the door. He stood back, waiting for the argument to end as the door finally opened, revealing an angry Johnny. His eyes softened when he saw Kuai standing on the other side of the door.

Kuai gave the ex-actor a sympathetic smile. He knew about the divorce between Johnny and Sonya; the event had been rough for both of them. Sonya busied herself in her work - more than usual, anyway - and Johnny spent his time focusing on Cassie.

Now, the only thing that the divorced couple seemed to do was argue, nowadays. It had gotten to a really bad point once when Kuai had visited. A coffee machine had been thrown in addition to the punches and hurled insults. While Kuai usually refrained from taking sides in these matters, he couldn’t help but hold Sonya in disapproval. When they were still married, Johnny had often voiced his complaints about Sonya’s obsession with bringing Kano behind bars; as a result, she was never there for Johnny or Cassie.

Kuai had deep fundamentals rooted in the idea of family - it was for this reason that he and Kenshi were supportive of Johnny. Tomas was also on Johnny’s side but had remained at the Lin Kuei to oversee the proceeds of the temple activity for the month that Kuai would be staying at the Special Forces. Jax was firmly on Sonya’s side, which didn’t completely surprise Kuai. He knew how close the two were. Stryker and Kabal refused to get involved in the fight, and Nightwolf was rarely seen these days as he spent the majority of his time protecting the Matoka tribe.

“Just get it out of your head,” Kuai said quietly as he patted Johnny on the back. “There’s no point in holding onto the pain and anger.”

Johnny nodded, his eyes showing nothing but tiredness. “I know,” he sighed as he started to walk away. Kuai watched him go with a concerned look but walked into Sonya’s office to report to the General.

Sonya had composed herself and was sitting behind her desk, flipping through papers. She looked up when Kuai shut the door behind him, standing up to shake his hand professionally. “It’s good to see you again, Kuai,” she spoke genuinely, and despite what had just happened, Kuai let a smile on his face as well.

“Hi, Sonya. I’ve just finished my evaluation on your daughter and her team,” Kuai spoke, sitting down in the chair across from her desk. “They’ve been well-established in the basis; I’ll be looking to touch up the smaller details that could give them the edge in the fight. Johnny’s taught them well.”

Sonya huffed. “At least he’s doing one thing right,” she grumbled. “I wanted to talk to you about a few things before you go to your room. As you know, Bi-Han is living here on the Special Forces base. I’ve tried to separate you as far from him as possible. However, Hanzo Hasashi will also be coming as well. He’s expected later today to arrive with Kenshi.”

The mention of the blind swordsman elicited a sympathetic twinge from Kuai’s chest. Suchin had been killed in a tragic event when Takeda had been seven years old. Kenshi dropped everything to pursue the Red Dragon who had killed her, leaving Takeda under Hanzo’s tutelage. Kenshi and Hanzo had slowly become friends as Hanzo became more familiar with Takeda. Even while Kenshi had been pursuing the Red Dragon, he still made time to visit the Shirai Ryu to see Takeda, at Kuai’s behest.

Now, Takeda was still in good relations with his father. He understood Kenshi’s pain and desire to seek those responsible for Suchin’s death; Kenshi promised him that once he was ready, they would fight the Red Dragon together.

“I know that you probably don’t want to interact with either one of them,” Sonya continued presently, snapping Kuai out of his thoughts, “but they aren’t exactly friendly with each other, either. I’m going to have you stay in your bedroom in the Eastern Quadrant dorms where Johnny and Kenshi are rooming. I’ve placed Bi-Han in the Western Quadrant with Jax and myself, and Hanzo in the Northern Quadrant with Stryker and Kabal. Is that alright with you?”

Kuai nodded silently after processing what Sonya had proposed. “I’m fine with that,” he said, getting onto his feet.

Sonya nodded, a pleased look on her face. “Hopefully, they won’t step out of line when you interact with them.” She didn’t say “if,” which was accurate given the circumstances. Given the space of the Special Forces base and the time-frame of one whole month, Kuai knew that he would have to interact with them at some point.

He shook Sonya’s hand firmly one last time before he made his way to the Eastern Quadrant of the base. He smiled when he saw Johnny standing outside his bedroom door. The ex-actor seemed to be in higher spirits, now, and he grinned happily at the sight of Kuai.

“Alright!” he cheered. “With Kenshi and you, this is going to be the Fun Group, here. Bickering and jokes for days, baby!”

Kuai rolled his eyes, matching his grin. “I can see why Sonya put us all here; she obviously wanted to quarantine us from the others.”

“She did what?” Kenshi’s voice rang out in the hallway.

Kuai and Johnny turned to face the telepath, who smiled in greeting. “Hello, Kuai. It’s good to see you again.”

“You as well,” Kuai said, nodding at him. “Sonya told me that you would be arriving with Hanzo.” 

Kenshi nodded in response. “I stopped by the Shirai Ryu clan to bring him along with me. He’s… eager… to oversee Takeda’s training. I’ll try and make sure that nothing extreme happens,” he vowed. “Hanzo and I may be friends, now, but when it comes to his hatred against you, I will stand firmly against him.”

“Thank you,” Kuai sighed in a relieved tone. “I would be lying if I said that I was perfectly fine right now.”

“Your scar has healed,” Kenshi noted; he hadn’t seen Kuai for a long time in his pursuit of the Red Dragon. Kuai lifted a hand instantly to his face where the red line was. While it had been red and raw the past five years, it was now a thinner, less red line. It hadn’t completely faded yet, but it was better than before.

“Takeda is with Hanzo right now,” Kenshi continued to speak. “I’m going to drop off my stuff in my room and join them.”

Kuai nodded in agreement, shrugging the duffel bag off of his shoulder. “I’m going to do the same,” he agreed. “I’m going to stay here with Johnny for a moment; have fun with Takeda, alright? Take this month to take a break for yourself and spend some time with your son.”

Kenshi smiled fondly, no doubt thinking about his son. “I’ll be sure to,” he stated, moving to his bedroom door and unlocking it with a swipe of his keycard against the sensor.

Kuai did the same to his own door as Johnny followed Kenshi inside the telepath’s room to help him unpack. Kuai shut the door behind him, hearing the click of the automatic lock. He sighed, turning to look at his room.

There were pictures everywhere, hung on the walls of himself with Tomas and/or Satoshi. With every visit to the Special Forces base, Kuai had brought a newly framed picture to add to his room. He had a picture of Satoshi from when the boy was ten; there was one picture for every year after that. 

Kuai walked to the sliding doors of the closet, unzipping the bags as he took out two extra, identical uniforms to the one he was wearing currently - the blue one he had worn in the tournament with the metal of the silver accents and the blue headband. Kuai untied the headband from his forehead, wrapping it three times around the metal neck of the clothes hanger as he hung the two uniforms. He placed the extra pairs of boots on the floor of the closet along with two pairs of sneakers and one pair of flip-flops.

The cryomancer took out the comfortable clothing he had brought with him as well; the old black leather jacket that still looked good as new - thanks to Kuai’s gentle treatment of the clothing. He hung the jacket in the back, behind the uniforms, remembering his time as a mercenary wearing the bulletproof jacket. 

Taking the jeans, sweatpants, and cotton shirts from the second bag, Kuai carried them to the dresser where he organized them into separate drawers. The bottom drawer was dedicated to undergarments and socks. With the clothes put away, Kuai started to change out of his uniform and into a plain dark blue short-sleeved t-shirt and grey sweatpants. After he had changed, he untied the boots to change into the third pair of sneakers - the white ones with black stripes. 

Kuai was about to put the duffel bags away when he paused, looking into one of the bags. There, at the bottom of all the clothes, was Sektor’s deactivated head. Johnny had told Kuai in advance that Hanzo would be there, and Kuai had brought it along just in case. The cryomancer shook off the unsettling feeling, zipping the bag shut to block out the sight of his downed enemy.

After placing the bags on the top shelf of the closet (with Sektor’s head still in there) and shutting the doors, Kuai heard a knock on his bedroom door. Frowning, Kuai got onto his feet and walked to the door, opening it.

“Hey, dad!” Satoshi exclaimed, throwing himself into Kuai’s opened arms.

“What are you doing here?” Kuai asked in astonishment, who instinctively returned the hug. “Don’t you have a job in the city? What are you going to do about your photography studio?”

“I’ve closed it temporarily,” Satoshi explained, invited into the bedroom by Kuai, who shut the door. “I wanted to take a break; there are so many people who need photos! I’m going to be staying here for the month, relaxing.”

“Hanzo is here,” Kuai warned, but the comment only made Satoshi perk up with excitement. “Good! We can show him Sektor’s memories and prove your innocence! You _did_ bring it with you, right?”

Kuai nodded in reply. “It’s in one of my bags in the closet,” he said, pointing with his thumb to the sliding doors. “I’m going to be busy with training the kids; if you want, we can try to find time somewhere in between to do that.”

Satoshi grinned, the twenty-seven aged man looking up at Kuai with sparkles in his eyes. “Great; I can’t wait to see you in a fight. I never got tired watching you move as fluidly as you do, even in your age.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Kuai teased, ruffling Satoshi’s hair. “I’m only 39, that’s not old at all!”

“Whatever helps you sleep at night,” Satoshi said, blinking innocently. He hugged Kuai one last time before moving to the door. “I’ll see you at dinner,” he promised. “I’m rooming in the Southern Quadrant, with the kids and far away from everyone else.”

Kuai nodded in response as he moved to the door to open it for Satoshi. “I’ll see you later,” he said in parting, walking into the doorframe as Satoshi left.

Johnny was standing outside, looking as Satoshi left. “You raised that kid right,” the ex-actor praised Kuai as the cryomancer shut his bedroom door behind him, checking to see if the keycard was in his pocket. “You raised him in an environment where he felt loved and protected, and you encouraged him to pursue his dreams. I want to do the same for Cassie, you know?”

“You already are,” Kuai spoke firmly. “You haven’t given up on her like Sonya has; you’re her role model and her hero. She’s so proud of you.”

“Thanks, man,” Johnny responded, smiling gratefully at Kuai. “You always say the right things.”

Kuai shrugged. “Yeah, well, someone has to knock some sense into that thick skull of yours,” he joked, rapping his knuckles playfully on Johnny’s head. 

Johnny laughed, looking the most relaxed that Kuai had seen him in months. “Come on,” he urged Kuai, “let’s go meet Stryker and Kabal and say hi.”

* * *

Kuai was sitting in the kitchen with Johnny, Kabal, Stryker, and Jax at a circular wooden table with a bowl of fruit in the middle. The group had retrieved a case of beer from the fridge and were drinking together.

Stryker was talking about a time when he had tried (and failed) to pick up a girl from a bar. The story was hilarious, and the group was laughing collectively at the cop’s expense - even Stryker was laughing at his own misfortune as he described the girl throwing her martini in his face.

“Oh, geez,” Kabal snorted. “You always were a fucking idiot.”

“She was pretty, though!” Stryker complained.

“Alright, enough,” Jax calmed the group down. “What’s been going on with you, man?” he asked, turning to Kuai.

The cryomancer shrugged apologetically. Normally, he had an interesting story to tell of an adventure he had before meeting up with the Special Forces. However, the past years had been a period of growth for his clan - Kuai was thankful for the relative peacefulness. “Nothing much,” he said, taking a pause to sip at the alcohol. “Actually,” he said, a sudden thought coming to him, “I was wrong. I found a Frost Dragon in the Lin Kuei territory.”

Exclaims of shock swept the table. “Dude, you saw an actual dragon?” Johnny exclaimed.

“I didn’t just see one,” Kuai said, getting into his story-telling voice as he leaned closer. “I had to kill it to ensure that it didn’t attack the Lin Kuei temple. However, I found a clutch of three eggs in the back of the cave that we found the dragon in. I brought them back to the temple; Tomas and I want to see if we can get them to hatch. If everything works out, we might be able to raise them to defend the Lin Kuei and Earthrealm.”

Kabal whistled appreciatively. “Damn; with dragons on our side, I don’t think that any other realm would try to challenge us.”

“Hey, did you hear about Outworld?” Jax questioned the group as he changed the subject. “Mileena was recently dethroned - there was a coup held. Now, some guy named Kotal is the new emperor of Outworld. Luckily for us, he’s more concerned about maintaining diplomatic relationships with us. There was a meeting held at a third-party location. Sonya and I went to meet him - he seems to be a calm, level-headed honorable guy. It’s a good change, compared to Mileena or Shao Kahn.”

“That _is_ good news,” Kuai nodded in agreement. “Hopefully, the years in the future are ones of peace and healing. We could use a break.”

“There may be peace between Earthrealm and Outworld, but you won’t be getting it,” a deep voice spoke from the doorway of the kitchen.

Kuai and the others turned in their seats, looking at Bi-Han, who was leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed. He wore a black hoodie and dark blue jeans while he looked at Kuai - not with anger, but with scorn and indifference. “I’ve heard about the Lin Kuei; with your soft hand, you are slowly guiding the clan to its end. They need to know and understand fear - it is the greatest motivator,” the older brother spoke as he started to walk to the fridge, grabbing a beer for himself.

“Fear is a powerful motivator,” Kuai nodded in agreement, “but there are other, more effective ways to motivate people, Bi-Han. Love, family, protectiveness - I’ve found these to be more effective in the long run. Fear doesn’t bring respect - only resentment. The clanspeople respect me for showing kindness and respect.”

Bi-Han scoffed, looking down arrogantly at Kuai. The cryomancer knew that Bi-Han’s cryomancy powers were gone, replaced with his shadow abilities. This was similar to Hanzo, who had retained his control of hellfire. “They’re soft,” he snapped at Kuai, “because you’re making them soft. They expect these things to be given to them - they don’t know how to fight for it.”

“The Lin Kuei have never been stronger,” Kuai argued coldly as he stood up. It irked him to no end - after closing five years in the age gap between himself and Bi-Han, Kuai still had to look up at Bi-Han, who stood a couple of inches taller than Kuai. “They fight harder to defend their family and loved ones. Love strengthens them - it doesn’t weaken or undermine their abilities.”

“Whatever,” Bi-Han said, rolling his eyes in a way that made Kuai want to punch him. “Lead your stupid clan; I’ll be waiting to pick up the pieces when you fail.” With that, he stalked out of the kitchen, leaving Kuai and his friends in a state of tension.

“Well, I guess some things just don’t change,” Kuai quipped as he sat back down, looking at the apprehensive faces of his friends. “Don’t worry about it; I’m not. He’s been like this for the majority of the time that I’ve known him. Don’t let it affect you too badly.”

“Just because he’s been doing it to you for a long time doesn’t make it right,” Johnny protested. “You’ve got to stand up for yourself, man! Push that asshole back and show him why you’re the fucking Grandmaster of the Lin Kuei!”

Kuai huffed in amusement. “What do you think I’ve been trying to do? I spent my days in the Lin Kuei praying to the Elder Gods as a child that I could get my older brother back - I remember being so mad at them when it never came true. People like him just don’t change, Johnny. I’ve accepted this; besides, all the family I need is in this room, along with Sonya, Kenshi, and the kids. If Bi-Han never changes, I’m fine with that.”

There was little hope that Kuai had about Bi-Han; he knew that his older brother would continue to resent Kuai, so the cryomancer decided to leave it as is. He couldn’t fix him - no matter how much he wanted to. It was a bitter pill to swallow, but Kuai could only live his life with what was given to him. 

With that, Kuai changed the course of the conversation. The friends continued to talk about various topics as time passed. Suddenly, the phones in their pockets buzzed as the men all pulled out their devices. Sonya had sent a text to the group chat, letting them know that dinner was being served in the conference room.

Kuai got up and walked next to Johnny as the group made their way to the others. Jax stepped into the conference room first, pushing open the doors to the large table inside. Kuai remembered sitting at that table while discussing missions - to see it turned into a dining table with a tablecloth thrown over it was startling, to say the least.

The cryomancer reserved his seat next to Johnny, who made sure to distance himself from his ex-wife. Kuai placed his phone on the table in front of his claimed seat, nodding reassuringly at Johnny as he turned around.

In the corner of the room, Satoshi was talking to Hanzo. Kuai had been too late to witness the reunion, but he could see that they were chatting in a friendly manner. Hanzo was showing happiness and pride; things that Kuai hadn’t seen in Scorpion and was _definitely_ more attributed to Hanzo Hasashi. As he was staring at the two, Satoshi caught sight of Kuai, his eyes lighting up.

Too late, Kuai made gestures to stop Satoshi from going to him, but the enthusiastic young man ignored the panic of the cryomancer, walking quickly to Kuai as he dragged the cryomancer to Hanzo in the corner. 

“Father,” Satoshi said, beaming at a nervous Kuai, who was staring at the ground and avoiding Hanzo’s eyes, “this is the person who took care of me after the Shirai Ryu were killed.”

“Yes, we’ve met,” Hanzo spoke coldly, making Kuai flinch slightly. “Excuse me,” he said, moving away and toward the table.

Kuai watched as Satoshi hurried after Hanzo while the cryomancer sat in his seat at the table next to Johnny. Much to his dismay, Kuai realized that Hanzo was sitting across from him. _Great,_ he thought to himself, _I guess I’ll be staring at my plate._

Kenshi sat on Kuai’s right, placing a comforting hand on the cryomancer’s back. “Relax,” he murmured under his breath. “You’re stiffer than a statue. Just get through this night and prove to him why you are worthy of training Takeda.”

Kuai moved his head slightly to acknowledge Kenshi’s words, settling back into his chair. Slow conversations started to materialize at the table, ending the tense silence as Kuai talked amongst Johnny and Kenshi. Suddenly, Sonya pulled out her laptop and turned the screen to the table, putting it on full display.

The cryomancer froze when he saw Tomas’s grinning face on the screen, joining the group via webchat. Sonya started to speak as the others quieted from their personal conversations, turning their attention to the computer with the newcomer. “Hey, Tomas. Are you busy right now?”

 _“Nah, not really,”_ the enenra spoke through the screen. _“What’s up?”_

“Well, we were just talking about embarrassing stories from our past,” Sonya explained, staring at Kuai with a grin on her face as he started to shrink in his seat. “but your friend here is _very_ silent about sharing stories whenever this discussion comes up. Do you have any to share?”

Tomas’s eyes glinted happily as he threw his head back and howled in laughter. Kuai shrunk into his seat, ignoring the amused looks from his friends and the perplexed faces of Bi-Han and Hanzo.

“Don’t,” Kuai softly cautioned a smug Tomas, finally having the courage to look at the enenra from the screen. “Don’t you fucking dare.”

 _“Well…”_ he trailed off with a mischievous glint in his eyes, _“I’m not surprised at all. This idiot has done so many stupid things - in the seven years I spent with him in our childhood, he’s got a fucking_ **_book_ ** _of embarrassing moments. Let’s see, one of the more recent things that he’s done is actually pretty fucking funny. I don’t know if you guys know about this, but Kuai recently got glasses.”_

“Tomas!” Kuai exclaimed in chagrin as he covered his face with his hands. It was true, and Kuai was embarrassed about it. The cryomancer had noticed that his vision was failing slightly when he found that he couldn’t read the words on his paperwork. It got worse when everything started to become blurry and unfocused - eventually, Kuai had been fitted with glasses. He wore contact lenses to not require the glasses in a fight.

Unfortunately, _that_ secret was out of the bag…

 _“Before he got them,”_ Tomas smirked, _“he would walk into the doorframe of his office every time he walked in and out of the room. He actually trips over his own feet on a daily basis, even with his contacts. He’ll lie on the ground and stay there for a good minute, you know - contemplating life and whether it’s worth it to even stand up. Then, he’ll say something like: ‘Someone, please, fucking kill me now’ before getting onto his feet.”_

Kuai, who was still covering his face with his hands, shifted one of them to flip Tomas off.

Still, he continued. “ _And then, he’ll forget about the smallest things! He misplaces things so fucking easily. Actually, the day before yesterday, he thought he had lost his phone. He ran to me and asked me to call his phone. I didn’t - he was holding the thing in his hand, for the Elder Gods’ sake!”_

“You are demoted,” Kuai said as he turned to face Tomas on the screen. “You have lost all of your friendship privileges. Do you think you have dirt on me? Fucker - I’ve got _years_ of shit on you, so shut your fucking mouth!”

 _“Pff,”_ Tomas laughed at his friend’s expense. _“You can go ahead and tell them anything; I’m not there to suffer the first-hand embarrassment.”_ With that, the call disconnected.

“... That little _bitch_. Two can play that game,” Kuai muttered under his breath as he pulled out his phone from his pocket, calling one of the Lin Kuei senior soldiers. “Hey, Victor,” Kuai spoke in a friendly tone. “Yeah, no; I’m fine. Hey, I need you to do something for me really quick. Do you know all that porn that Tomas has saved on his computer? When he runs the PowerPoint presentation today, could you hack into his laptop and have it play that instead? You can? Great! Thanks, bye!”

With that, Kuai shut off his phone, a satisfied smirk on his face.

Johnny wheezed, leaning on Kuai to punch his shoulder as he gasped for air.

“You two really love each other, don’t you?” Kabal asked sarcastically.

“It’s a never-ending war,” Kuai said in response, shrugging. “He pulls some shit on me, I do something to him. It’s been going on for the past… five years - give or take? Whatever; I’m just upset that I can’t be there to see his face when he gives that presentation,” Kuai snickered.

“It’s been eight years,” Satoshi corrected. “and it’s the funniest shit you’ve ever seen.”

“I just wish he’d stop attacking me in the office,” Kuai complained as he stabbed his fork into a piece of turkey on his plate. “The confetti gets everywhere; it’s a pain to clean up.”

Now, the others were starting to drift off into their own conversations. Bi-Han was staring at Kuai with an unreadable look in his eyes. Kuai shrugged off the discomfort, looking back to Satoshi who was starting to speak again.

“Well, you always get him back by leaving those stink bombs in his room,” Satoshi pointed out. “Then, he gets you with leaving a wild exotic animal of some sort in the throne room. Then, you retaliate by making his sink and shower spill out vinegar instead of water. Then, he hits you with the paintball gun in the back. Then, you two start fighting, and then you dump oyster juice over his head.”

Johnny cackled. “Wow, that sounds like a fucking nightmare.”

“It keeps me on my toes,” Kuai admitted. “But it’s a great way for us to have fun. We both know that it’s just a game.”

Kuai ignored Hanzo’s looks, continuing to chat with Johnny and Kenshi until the plates had been cleared and the night was dreamt away in the comfort and safety of the cryomancer’s bed.

 _He had made it through the_ **_first_ ** _day._


	14. Training Days

**_You've got me popping champagne,_ **

**_I'm at it again, caught up in the moment,_ **

**_But not in the right way._ **

**_I'm falling in between, tearing up at the seams;_ **

**_We're just aiming to please,_ **

**_And aesthetics don't hurt one bit._ **

**\- All Time Low, “Poppin’ Champagne”**

* * *

The cryomancer stood in the training room, looking down at his hard-duty watch while he tapped a foot against the ground.

He was wearing black sweatpants with a pale, icy blue top and light grey sneakers. The cryomancer didn’t want to dress in his bulky armor for a simple training lesson, so he was wearing this much more casual clothing. Kuai continued to stare in wait at the door, crossing his arms as he counted the seconds that passed in his head. 

Kuai could hear the sound of a door opening; it just wasn’t the right one. In the back of the bleachers looking down at the floor of the training room was a back entrance. Kuai could hear multiple footsteps as he heard people sit down in the top row of the bleachers, sitting apart from each other in groups.

Finally, the front door to the training room opened as four frazzled teenagers entered. Kuai frowned disappointingly, uncrossing his arms to start talking. “You’re seven minutes late. What held you up?”

“Sorry, Grandmaster,” Cassie apologized on behalf of the group. “We just had a disagreement and lost track of time; it won’t happen again.”

“You seem to have a lot of those,” Kuai noted, looking at the guilty faces of the others. “If you want to work as a team, you need to start acting like one. Until you work as one, you will continue to fall short.” The kids nodded in agreement, although they didn’t seem to take the message at heart.

Kuai sighed. “Every day, I want you all to spend time with each other. Talk. Interact. Socialize. Get to know each other - understand what drives your teammates. Every time you come to class, I will ask you one thing you learned about one of your teammates.” When the teenagers groaned, Kuai held up his hand. “I don’t want to hear it. As of right now, you are dysfunctional working together. If you can’t change that, you’ll always struggle in fights.”

“Yeah, but we could take you,” Kung Jin grumbled under his breath, earning a stink-eye from Cassie.   
  
“Is a demonstration required?” Kuai asked sweetly. “Was the one-way _ass-kicking_ yesterday not enough to convince you, Kung Jin?”

The archer grew more confident at the voiced challenge. “You took us on one-by-one yesterday. We’re good enough to work together to beat you.”

“Fine,” Kuai said, shrugging as he walked to the middle of the room. “If you all - by working together - can beat me, you won’t have to do what I suggested. On the contrary, if I beat you, you’ll have to listen to everything I say and never talk back. Understood?”

Kung Jin smirked, stepping forward to meet Kuai’s offer. Groaning, Jacqui followed after her three friends - she seemed to be the only one who knew where this was going to end up. Nevertheless, she would give it everything she got - for the good of the team.

The four teenagers charged collectively at Kuai. The cryomancer dodged under Kung Jin’s sloppy strike, letting the archer run past him as Kuai kicked Cassie in the chest, sending her to the ground as he threw a knife of ice - it impaled the hood of her workout jacket, pinning her to the ground. Meanwhile, Kuai was blocking Takeda’s and Jacqui’s blows, tripping Jacqui with a side sweep as Takeda jumped over his leg. With a flick of his wrist, Kuai had Jacqui pinned in a similar manner as Cassie.

Kuai stepped to the side as he heard footsteps from behind; Kung Jin ran past Kuai again, tackling a surprised Takeda instead. They fell to the ground - Takeda pushed Kung Jin off of him, unfurling his whip on his right forearm. He lashed it at Kuai, who caught the metal wire and wrapped it around his wrist, pulling on the whip to drag Takeda at him, kicking the teenager in the stomach. Groaning, Takeda fell to the floor, where Kuai froze his legs.

Now, Kuai turned to Kung Jin, the only one still standing. The archer notched arrows in his bow, sending them toward Kuai. The cryomancer caught the first one and dodged the others, eventually getting close enough to the archer to kick him to the ground. 

“Had enough?” Kuai asked the four sternly as they tried to recover. “As I said, you are incapable of working together. Kung Jin was right - you _should_ have been able to take me, but your teamwork was insufficient. You’ll spend three hours every day with each other. Understood?”

“Yes, Grandmaster,” the four responded in unison, getting back onto their feet.

“Good,” Kuai nodded as he stood off to the side of the room, leaving the rest of the training space open for the teenagers to use. “Ten laps around the room. Then, we’ll get started.”

* * *

Hanzo Hasashi watched with a critical eye down at the training lesson below.

Kenshi had pressured Hanzo to join him in overseeing Takeda’s lessons. Hanzo had blatantly refused - he didn’t want to see the cryomancer that had bested him in kombat time and time again. The sight of the man, mainly the scar running down his face, reminded Hanzo too much of Kuai Liang - the young Lin Kuei who had joined the Shirai Ryu. This stranger had even cared for Satoshi, a fact that Hanzo was still trying to accept. 

However, Hanzo was certain that this cryomancer was not Kuai Liang. Quan Chi had confirmed that Kuai Liang had been killed in the Shirai Ryu fires, showing him a vision of Kuai Liang valiantly fighting off the Lin Kuei before he was brutally slaughtered. Furthermore, Hanzo had not seen any interaction between Bi-Han and his cryomancer to suggest that they were brothers. No, Kuai Liang was dead, and this cryomancer was but a poor imitation of the young man.

Now, Sub-Zero was talking to the children. He had them in pairs and sparring each other, offering tips and corrections in a kind voice. Hanzo had wanted to kill the cryomancer the moment he saw him yesterday at the dining room, but Kenshi had refrained him from doing so. The telepath whom Hanzo trusted over the course of many years had told him that Sub-Zero had been framed, just as Quan Chi had framed Bi-Han for the deaths of his family.

Hanzo had his doubts about the theory - he still believed that Quan Chi had good intentions in reviving him so that he could avenge his family. However, without any solid proof, Hanzo didn’t know what to think on the matter. He had been lost between the two different suggestions, and he diverted his attention away from this matter by focusing on rebuilding the Shirai Ryu.

Now, looking at the cryomancer, Hanzo was starting to see him in a different light. After the sharing of embarrassing stories last night, it had made the cryomancer seem more… human. Furthermore, Satoshi was consistently defending Sub-Zero’s honor, no matter what Hanzo said about him. However, looking at the care and concern that Sub-Zero was showing to his students, Hanzo didn’t know what to believe.

Sensing the turbulent thoughts in his mind, Kenshi leaned closer to Hanzo. “You should talk to him,” he said softly so that the others couldn’t hear him.

“What good would it do?” Hanzo growled back. “Unless he has something to prove his innocence, I don’t want anything to do with him.”

“Hear him out,” Kenshi urged, persisting with the thought. “I think a lot of misconceptions would be cleared up if you two just talked. If you want, I will be there to stand by your side as the two of you communicate. Please, do it for Satoshi. He’s conflicted over the two of you fighting.”

The mention of his son gave Hanzo pause. He knew that Kenshi was right - Satoshi was anxious about the tension between himself and Sub-Zero. He knew that his son wanted the two to make peace, and while Hanzo didn’t want to interact with the cryomancer any more than he had to, he could do it for his son.

“Fine,” Hanzo grumbled, relenting to Kenshi’s proposal. “But the moment he says something wrong, I’m ripping out his throat.”

“Fine,” Kenshi snipped back, turning his head to look down to the training session. “You won’t regret it, I promise.”

Hanzo said nothing in return. He just continued to look down at Takeda, trying to push away the lingering doubt in his mind.

* * *

Kuai sighed contently as he lay on his bed, holding a book in his hands as he opened it to the page with the bookmark. He pushed the black frames of his glasses up his nose. They were extremely frustrating to deal with when he was drinking from a cup of steaming tea; the steam would cloud the lenses.

After the training session and dismissing the kids, Kuai had immediately returned to his room and taken a shower to wash off the sweat. Now, he was dressed in an extremely comfortable grey hoodie with a white t-shirt underneath. He was also wearing another pair of black sweatpants - the ones he had worn at the training session were being washed right now.

As Kuai was starting to get into the story, there was a sequence of knocks at the door, rapping three times in quick succession. Huffing unhappily, Kuai bookmarked the page as he placed the novel on his nightstand, getting off the bed to the door and pulling it open.

His eyes widened slowly after seeing who it was. Kenshi was standing at the front of the group, with Satoshi and Hanzo standing behind the blind telepath. “Hi,” Kenshi greeted amiably. “Can we come in, really quick?”

“Um, sure?” Kuai asked, staring up at Hanzo with a look of trepidation on his face. “Come in.”

Kuai made room for the three people to enter, shutting the door behind them. Kenshi stood in the corner of the room while Satoshi sat on the bed. Hanzo was facing Kuai with a murderous, dark look on his face. He was holding the picture of Kuai and Satoshi on the wall - in the frame, Kuai was standing next to Satoshi, who was wearing a hat of the college he had been accepted into.

“Glasses, huh?” Kenshi asked as he smirked teasingly at Kuai. “Sento tells me that you look quite dashing in them.”

Kuai nodded absentmindedly, not fully hearing what Kenshi has said as he continued to stare awkwardly at Hanzo. “Uh, huh,” was what the cryomancer said.

Satoshi lifted a hand to cover the grin on his face.

“Were you looking for something?” Kuai asked them all collectively in the most polite tone he could muster.

“Kenshi seems to think that you have something that could prove your innocence,” Hanzo said in an irritable tone. “I told him not to bother -”

“Actually, I do,” Kuai spoke firmly. He ignored Hanzo’s surprised face as he went to the closet, pulling down the bag with Sektor’s head. Kuai turned to face the others, holding Sektor’s head in his hands as he set it onto the bed. “After the tournament, Kenshi and I went to destroy the Cyber Lin Kuei. We killed Sektor and I took his place as Grandmaster,” Kuai explained. 

“Get to the point,” Hanzo growled impatiently.

Kuai bit his tongue to stop himself from saying something sarcastic; that would ruin the atmosphere of tentative peace that was in the room right now.

Instead, Kuai resolved to uphold his peaceful nature. “When we killed Sektor, I was able to gain access to his memories. In reviewing them, I found something that caught my immediate attention.”

After pressing a button, a hologram of Quan Chi appeared from Sektor’s eyes. The sorcerer was speaking now, _“The Lin Kuei need to abide by their agreement, Sektor. The Grandmaster gave me his word.”_

_“Your word is a lie,” Sektor hissed. “Payment is due,” Quan Chi insisted. “I exterminated the Shirai Ryu as promised.”_

_“Hanzo Hasashi lives,” Sektor spat. “He’s your specter, Scorpion.”_

_“I created Scorpion from Hasashi’s soul after he died. We observed the agreement,” Quan Chi pressed._

_“The letter, not the spirit. You are owed nothing,” Sektor said in finality, terminating the connection._

Hanzo was staring at the spot where the hologram had been in shock, lowering his head. He said nothing, and Kuai faced the man in concern as his shoulder began to shake.

“He… He lied to me,” Hanzo spoke brokenly. “He was the one who killed my family. He brought me back from the dead to act as his **puppet** and misdirected my vengeance!”

“Quan Chi is a master of deceit,” Kenshi comforted Hanzo as Kuai placed Sektor’s head back in the bag, returning it to the closet. “The only thing that matters now is that you understand the truth. Bi-Han was not involved in the Shirai Ryu’s massacre.”

“That sorcerer will pay for what he’s done,” Hanzo seethed angrily. “I’ll see to it myself that he burns for an eternity in the deepest pit in the Netherrealm!”

Kuai hastily stepped back as flames flew up from Hanzo’s clenched fists. They danced up his forearm, the orange glow lighting up the room. Without a word, Hanzo stormed out of the room, wrenching the door open as he disappeared. With a sigh of dismay, Kenshi followed after him.

“Well,” Kuai said slowly, wondering what the hell had just happened, “I think that went as well as it could have…”

“Your life is _so_ weird,” Satoshi huffed, shaking his head with a wry smile on his face. “I’m going to go and see if I can help him calm down. Where can I find you, afterward?”

“Try the kitchen,” Kuai said, sighing as he pulled off the sweatshirt. 

* * *

“HAHA!” Johnny howled in laughter, pointing his finger at the grumpy cryomancer.

“Shut the fuck up, Johnny!” Kuai snapped, a pink tint appearing on his cheeks in embarrassment as he tried to position his body in front of the cooling cupcakes behind him. 

“Holy shit,” Johnny wheezed, leaning on the doorframe. “You bake? _YOU?!”_

“It’s not that funny,” Kuai huffed irritably. “Can you even cook? It’s an important skill to have, you know. Besides, it helps me destress - so fuck off before I stick your hand in the blender, you asshole.”

Johnny raised his hands in defense. “Whoa, cool it, Frosty! I was just joking around! What’s got you in a bind and turned you to the kitchen?”

Sighing, Kuai grudgingly explained what had happened in his bedroom. Johnny, for his part, listened attentively as Kuai went briefly through his description. Kuai was usually the one to listen to Johnny’s complaints about Sonya when they were going through their divorce. Now, Johnny was returning the favor with the role reversal.

When Kuai had finished, Johnny whistled. “Damn, that sounds rough. I don’t think I can blame you for stressing over it so much, although the baking part of it all _is_ pretty funny. What kind did you make? Vanilla? Chocolate?”

“Both of those,” Kuai said, looking behind him to see the cupcakes in their respective pans. “I kind of went overboard, actually. I made pumpkin and banana as well - I found the ingredients in the pantry and thought I might as well use them. I also made some strawberry and lemon.”

“Wow, now I’m hungry,” Johnny admitted, walking over to the unfinished cupcakes. “They actually look really good; I didn’t know you could cook, man,” he complimented him.

“With Satoshi, I picked up a few things,” Kuai said absentmindedly as he started to place butter, milk, and powdered sugar in a bowl together, depositing the bowl under the mixer. “I didn’t want to continuously have him eat junk food, you know? I taught myself; thank the gods for the Internet.”

“Mm, hm,” Johnny hummed in agreement, staring at the cupcakes hungrily. “You’re making the frosting right now, right?”

Kuai smirked; now that Johnny wasn’t laughing at him, the former actor seemed to be interested in the activity, now. “I am,” Kuai confirmed, “When this is done, do you want to help me ice the cupcakes? It tastes a lot better if you do the work yourself.”

“Sure, why not?” Johnny replied, already on-board with the idea. “I’m hiding from Sonya; this is the last place she’ll find me.” 

They talked together, cracking jokes and sending playful insults at the other over the sound of the electronic mixer in the kitchen. When the mixer had thoroughly combined the ingredients, Kuai shut it off, lifting up the mixer to bring the big bowl out. He grabbed a spoon, separating the unflavored icing into five separate bowls. 

“We’re going to ice the vanilla and banana cupcakes with vanilla icing,” Kuai said, pointing to one bowl with twice the amount of frosting as the others. “Here, take the vanilla extract and add about seven drops before you mix it together. I’m going to make the strawberry, lemon, and cream cheese icing. When you’re done with the vanilla icing, take the cocoa powder and make the chocolate icing in another bowl.”

Johnny nodded at the instructions, taking the vanilla extract bottle that Kuai had handed to him. They got to work, mixing the flavoring ingredients into the fluffy icing. “Okay,” Johnny said in a reluctant voice, “I can see why you do this when you’re stressed. It’s really relaxing and satisfying.”

Kuai snorted, earning a playful hit on his upper arm by Johnny. “Have you seen Bi-Han, recently?” Kuai asked the former actor curiously. “I haven’t seen him since last night.”

“He was up in the stands when you had your training session with the kids,” Johnny recalled, lifting up the spatula with a sudden force that flicked icing onto Kuai’s cheek. In retaliation, Kuai took his spoon with the strawberry icing and flung a pink glob onto the top of Johnny’s hair.

Suddenly, Kuai forgot what he had asked as both he and Johnny grabbed ahold of the leftover bowl of icing. They each scooped handfuls from the large bowl before running away from each other, throwing unflavored icing at the other in a full-fledged food fight. 

“FUCK YOU!” Johnny laughed as icing hit the crotch of his pants. 

Kuai let out a wheezing gasp of laughter. “Looks like you got a little _too_ excited, Johnny,” he teased, receiving a faceful of icing that dripped down his face. 

Johnny cackled, pointing at Kuai as the cryomancer wiped the icing off of his face. Before they could resume their game, a new voice called out from the doorway.

“WHAT THE FUCK?!”

Johnny and Kuai immediately whirled around, eyes widening as they saw Jax, Stryker, and Kabal standing in the doorway of the kitchen. The kids arrived shortly after, the sound bringing them to the scene. They all gaped at the sight of Kuai and Johnny with icing in their raised hands, ready to throw it at the other. 

Kuai dropped his hands and pointed to Johnny immediately in a childish manner. “He started it.”

“... Is that icing?” Kabal asked tentatively. “I didn’t know we had that in the fridge.”

“No, it’s freshly made,” Johnny rebutted as he licked some off of his fingers. “Kuai was stress baking. He made cupcakes, and I was helping him with the icing until… this happened.”

“At least you guys only got it on yourselves and not the walls,” Stryker sighed in exasperation. “Sonya would have taken off both your heads if it did.”

“We’ll clean it up!” Johnny protested. “Come on, Kuai, let’s get back to finishing those cupcakes.”

“Save some for me!” Jacqui called out in the back. “I love Uncle Kuai’s baking.”

“How would you know?” Jax asked incredulously as he looked at his daughter. Cassie huffed in amusement. “Remember that week that we spent at the Lin Kuei? He made cookies, cupcakes, and other things for us every day. It was heaven - other than the training, that is.”

“They were doing good,” Kuai said defensively under the incredulous looks he received. “I thought I’d give them a reward of some sort.”

“In the form of cinnamon rolls,” Takeda pointed out, making Jacqui and Cassie sigh happily. “Those things were better than Cinnabon,” Jacqui said with a happy smile on her face.

“Your reputation as a badass is officially over,” Johnny remarked as he nudged Kuai’s side. “You’ve been demoted to ‘Cool Uncle,’ now.”

“I’m fine with that,” Kuai scoffed, after washing his face clean of the icing in the kitchen sink. “As long as I’m the favorite, I don’t care.” He grabbed zip-up bags from the cabinet, taking the mixing spoon to scoop up the icing, and placed it into the bag. Johnny followed his example until there were five different bags filled with different flavors.

Kuai took the kitchen scissors to cut off a corner from each of the bags while Johnny took care in removing the cupcakes with their decorative paper cups from the pans, placing them on fancy serving plates. Kuai handed the vanilla icing bag to Johnny as he pointed to the corresponding cupcakes. They worked in unison, making swirls and spirals on the heads of the cupcakes.

Finally, Kuai and Johnny stepped back to admire their handiwork. While you could tell the difference between the cupcakes Kuai had iced versus Johnny’s (the ex-actor’s work was a little shaky), they looked amazing. Johnny fist-bumped Kuai, a grin on his face. “That was fun,” he admitted, carrying two of the plates in each hand to the dining table, which was untouched by their icing fight earlier.

“Stress baking, huh?” Stryker asked amusedly, making Kuai flush in embarrassment. “I didn’t know that was something you did.”

“Well, I do reside in an isolated temple,” the cryomancer pointed out, placing the serving dishes on the table. “I have time to myself, every now and then.” He briefly pointed out the different flavors before he went to help Johnny in the process of cleaning up the kitchen. The two resumed their conversation from earlier, as Johnny continued to describe where he had seen Bi-Han.

“He’s been unusually quiet,” Johnny admitted. “I’d watch out for him if I were you. He could be planning an assassination attempt, for all I know.”

Kuai sighed, shaking his head as he mopped up the floors. “All I wanted was to fucking relax, for once,” he grumbled. “But _no -_ the Elder Gods just want to see me suffer.”

“Well, it _is_ Friday,” Johnny noted. ‘There’s no class for the kids tomorrow. Hey; do you want to go to town and get wasted? I’ll supervise.”

… 

“... Okay,” Kuai relented. He didn’t usually drink, but the thought was appealing to him in this moment of high stress. Besides, Johnny was right, for once. He didn’t have to teach the kids tomorrow, so he could sleep off his insane hangover.

Johnny beamed happily. “Great! I wonder what kind of drunk you are. I hope you aren’t one of those sobbing, crying drunks.”

Kuai snorted, despite himself. “Well, I guess we’re finding out tonight.”

By now, the kitchen was pretty much spotless, returning it to its former state. Kuai and Johnny started to walk out when Jax called out to them.

“Thanks for the cupcakes!” Jax called out to them, making them turn around. “These are really good.”

“Mmm!” Stryker called out in agreement.

“Yeah, no problem,” Kuai said dismissively, walking over to grab a strawberry one while Johnny immediately reached for a pumpkin and chocolate. The two of them said their goodbyes while they started to walk toward their dorms. Kuai took a bite from the cupcake while Johnny bit into the chocolate one, humming contently. 

“Okay,” the ex-actor said through a mouthful of cake, “this is amazing.”

“It had to be,” Kuai said, shrugging as they started to walk up past Sonya’s office. “Do you know how hard it is to make a picky kid happy?”

The General walked out of her office, shutting the door firmly behind her as she frowned at the two of them. “Cupcakes? Where the hell did you get them?”

“Kuai made them,” Johnny said, gesturing to the cryomancer standing next to him. “Here,” he said, extending the pumpkin cupcake to Sonya, “I got your favorite flavor; pumpkin. It’s got cream cheese frosting on it, too. There’s more in the kitchen.”

Sonya hesitantly grabbed the treat, nodding at the two of them in suspicion. “... Thanks,” she said, walking past them down the hall.

“Come on,” Johnny encouraged, shoving the last bit of his cupcake into his mouth as he pulled on Kuai’s arm. “Let’s hurry the hell up. I want to get out of here; I’ve been bored out of my fucking mind.”

They raced to the dorms, laughing happily as they tried sabotaging each other on the way.

* * *

Hanzo re-entered the building as the sun started to set, making his way to the kitchen.

The Shirai Ryu had been outside since he had been told the truth about the Shirai Ryu’s demise - Kenshi and Satoshi had joined him on the rooftop of the Shirai Ryu building to talk with him, helping Hanzo think about what to do from here.

After the month was over, the Shirai Ryu was going to hunt down Quan Chi - no matter what it took. He was going to make the sorcerer beg for his life and then cut him down anyway. Hanzo thought about the many ways he could kill the sorcerer with his bare hands as he went to the kitchen to grab something to eat. He could make him burn so that Hanzo could revel in his screams of anguish - wouldn’t that be fitting? Make Quan Chi regret giving him his hellfire powers and creating Scorpion from him -

_Were those cupcakes?_

Hanzo stared at Bi-Han, who was about to bite into his banana cupcake. The Lin Kuei lowered the treat slowly, closing his mouth as he glared at Hanzo. While the two had spoken during their “rehabilitation” period after their resurrection, they were _not_ on good terms. “Murderer,” Bi-Han snarled. 

“How hypocritical of you to say,” Hanzo snapped, referencing the time that Bi-Han had killed Hanzo in the retrieval of the map. Bi-Han growled warningly as Hanzo strode forward fearlessly, plucking a vanilla cupcake from the platter. With the baked good in his hand, Hanzo turned away to lean on the countertop of the kitchen, fixing a wary look onto Bi-Han’s seated figure.

While the two of them had stayed at the Special Forces to heal from the trauma of being an undead warrior, they were by no means _friends._ Not even _acquaintances -_ no, they still absolutely despised the other. 

“One of these days,” Bi-Han glowered at Hanzo, who glared right back, “you’ll get what you deserve, you Shirai Ryu _wench._ And while you lie on the ground on the verge of death, I’ll be there to laugh in your face.”

“When _you_ die,” Hanzo snapped, “it will have been _my_ hands that delivered the killing blow, you Lin Kuei scum.”

Bi-Han grinned ferally, his white teeth glinting in the light. “Just so long as we’re clear on that.” 

Hanzo’s angry look morphed into one of confusion as Bi-Han stood up, walking to stand next to the Shirai Ryu. “I propose a temporary alliance,” Bi-Han said slowly, his eyes darting to the entrance of the kitchen to ensure that no one else was eavesdropping on their conversation. “You and I both have an enemy in common - the _Grandmaster_ Sub-Zero.”

“He’s not my enemy, anymore,” Hanzo spoke dismissively as he turned away from Bi-Han. “He has proved his innocence after showing me the memories of Sektor and Quan Chi. That sorcerer killed my family and twisted my mind!”

“But how do you know that Sub-Zero didn’t aid the Lin Kuei?” Bi-Han asked slyly, trying to push his way into Hanzo’s mind by pulling on his doubts.

Hanzo hesitated, taking in Bi-Han’s words. “... No; he wouldn’t have told me if he was guilty,” the Shirai Ryu insisted, frowning as he looked down to the floor. 

“Why not?” Bi-Han asked, “It would give him the chance to throw you off of his scent. That way, he would send you away from him. He’s probably laughing behind your back right now!”

At Hanzo’s tormented face, Bi-Han pressed his advantage. “Why not this; kill **both** of them, if you’re so unsure. That way, you can ensure that you got your revenge. After this is all over, we’ll go our separate ways and resume our conflict. All I want is _him_ out of the picture.”

“... Fine,” Hanzo decided, turning to face Bi-Han with distrust in his eyes. “This doesn’t mean that I trust you,” the Shirai Ryu spat, “I’ll be watching my back.”

Bi-Han smirked derisively, offering his hand to seal the deal as Hanzo shook it firmly. “I wouldn’t expect any less from you, _Scorpion.”_

Hanzo snarled at the use of his old pseudonym, wrenching his hand away from Bi-Han’s grip. Bi-Han grinned like a shark at the response he got from Hanzo, leaning closer to speak quietly so that no one else could hear.

“I can manipulate events to get Sub-Zero out of the base,” he spoke in a hushed whisper, looking over to the entrance of the kitchen again. “I’ll send him a transmission from his friend’s computer when I teleport to the Lin Kuei temple. He’ll think that the Lin Kuei is under attack, and he’ll use the portal machine to get there as quick as he can.”

“That’s where you come in,” Bi-Han spoke, handing Hanzo a slip of paper - coordinates. “When the idiot goes through the portal, you need to be there to switch the entered coordinates to these. He’ll be brought to the outskirts of the Lin Kuei territory, where I’ll be waiting to hold him off so that you can join me shortly after with your own teleporting abilities. Then, we can kill him and throw his body off of the cliff.”

The plan sounded sound to Hanzo, albeit a little extreme. However, it _was_ Bi-Han that he was working with, so the plan was bound to be as cold and callous as the man was. The Shirai Ryu nodded in response, taking the paper and tucking it into his pocket. 

“Be ready,” Bi-Han cautioned the Shirai Ryu, “When he gives the announcement tomorrow, that’ll be your moment. Don’t fuck it up.”

“I won’t,” Hanzo sniffed indignantly, stalking out of the kitchen...

… and came face-to-face with Kenshi.

“... Hanzo,” Kenshi greeted calmly, nodding once. “How are you this evening?”

“I’m doing well,” Hanzo replied, his heart rate saying otherwise. Had Kenshi heard his conversation with Bi-Han? Could he pick up on Hanzo’s thoughts right now? “Thank you for helping me today,” Hanzo spoke, trying to direct the conversation in another direction.

“I only wanted to ease your tormented mind,” Kenshi responded, leading Hanzo away from the kitchen as the telepath led the Shirai Ryu outside. They walked on the gravel paths as the soldiers ran this way and that. “I’m glad that you and Sub-Zero have finally set aside your differences.”

“Yes,” Hanzo lied, feeling a twinge of guilt before he shoved it down, “I intend to provide him a lengthy apology sometime soon.”

Kenshi nodded, deep in thought as the two of them continued to walk in silence. The lack of speech was starting to make Hanzo squirm when the telepath finally stopped in his tracks as he faced Hanzo. “I must leave; Takeda is calling me,” Kenshi said in explanation, “Before I go, I want to leave you with some words of advice.”

Hanzo huffed amusedly and with relief, crossing his arms. He and Kenshi had become friends over the past years, with the telepath providing Takeda for Hanzo to train. Kenshi would often leave Hanzo with advice that would affect his immediate life, so the Shirai Ryu took the words seriously. “What?” Hanzo questioned. 

“Nothing is ever as it seems,” Kenshi spoke with an ominous tone, “and there are always more than two sides to every story. Revenge is the path best-not-taken. People are not always who they seem to be, but sometimes, they are.” 

Hanzo’s mind whirled around the extremely vague quotes, trying to decipher what the meaning was behind the words. Kenshi did not offer the Shirai Ryu any further explanation - he only took a deep breath before patting Hanzo’s shoulder in an attempt to ease the man’s worries.

“Goodnight, Hanzo,” Kenshi spoke in finality as he left the perplexed man alone to ponder over his words.


	15. A Promise In Blood

**_Speak of the devil, look who just walked into the room._ **

**_The guilted and faded notion of someone I once knew._ **

**_All the perfect moments are wrong;_ **

**_All the precious pieces are gone._ **

**_Everything that mattered is just a city of dust, covering both of us…_ **

**\- Shinedown, “Through the Ghost”**

* * *

When Kuai woke up in the morning, he instantly regretted his decision to go out last night.

The cryomancer sat up with a groan, clutching his head as it started to spike painfully. Throwing the blanket violently to the side, Kuai slowly stood on his feet, wobbling unsteadily to the bathroom as he washed himself to stave off the hangover.

Kuai could still remember the events from last night. He and Johnny had left the Special Forces base after letting Jax know and drove to the small, nearby town. Kuai remembered getting drunk - in his rage from his encounter with Hanzo that day, he had started a bar fight. The bruise on his cheek was a painful reminder of that embarrassing moment.

When he emerged from the bathroom with his contact lenses in, the cryomancer sluggishly donned a plain white t-shirt with navy blue jeans. Kuai went to the closet and donned his black leather jacket before he grabbed his phone and walked out of his bedroom, shutting the door securely behind him. The cryomancer sighed, unlocking his phone as he quickly sent a text to Tomas, letting him know that he was still alive. 

After conversing with Tomas over text about the clan and personal matters, Kuai shut off the phone to walk into the kitchen, passing by a groaning Johnny to grab the teabags in the cabinet. Kuai moved to the kettle of boiling water, retrieving his mug to pour the scalding water.

Kuai pulled himself to Johnny at the table, who was nursing a cup of coffee between his hands. “You really showed those assholes who was boss,” Johnny remarked in a quiet voice, trying to not be too loud.

The noise was still enough to make Kuai wince as he dipped the teabag repeatedly into his water. “They were being creeps,” Kuai commented in an even quieter voice, “I just did what any decent person would have.”

The bar fight had started when a group of bikers had started to flirt with a waitress. It got to the point where things took an unwelcome, physical turn for the worse, which spurred Kuai to smash his beer bottle over the head of one of the men. With Johnny, they beat the shit out of the bikers before they were forced to leave.

Loud footsteps approached from the hallway as Kuai took his first sip of the tea, sighing in relief as the heat seeped through his body and woke him up a little more. Kenshi walked to the table, pulling the empty chair back with a loud, scraping noise that made Kuai and Johnny groan in unspoken complaints.

“So,” Kenshi remarked loudly, making Kuai clutch his ears, “I guess that some of us had a fun night.”

“You’re an ass,” Johnny croaked, flipping Kenshi off. “You’re doing it on purpose, and you know it.”

“Well, maybe you shouldn’t have drunk so much,” Kenshi snarked back, smirking at his friends’ suffering. Kuai sighed, breathing in the calming aroma of the tea. “How was Hanzo? Did you talk to him when Johnny and I left?”

Kenshi nodded. “Yes; we talked,” he spoke vaguely, leaving it at that.

“Great,” Johnny remarked, wincing as he leaned back to clutch his head. “I am _never_ doing that again, thank you very much.”

* * *

“There’s a problem.”

Hanzo’s head snapped up to see Bi-Han enter the public men’s room as the Shirai Ryu was washing his hands. Hanzo scowled at the former-shadow-wraith. “Haven’t you heard about privacy?”

Bi-Han ignored him, leaning against the front door to prevent anyone from entering. “I went to the Lin Kuei this morning to send Sub-Zero the message, but they’re all password-protected with the same password. I can’t access the computer if I don’t know what it is.”

“Now what, then?” Hanzo questioned. 

“I need access to Sub-Zero’s computer in his room,” Bi-Han spoke. “I can teleport in-and-out easily, but I need you to stay outside the room to ensure that he doesn’t try and come in while I’m inside. I can hack into the laptop easily with the Special Forces tech and find out the password from there. If you see him, I need you to let me know. Knock on the door - or something.”

“Sure,” Hanzo replied, drying his hands to follow Bi-Han out of the bathroom. He followed after the older man to the dorms, navigating their way through the hallways until they reached the specific door they were trying to unlock. 

Bi-Han cast one look at Hanzo before he disappeared in an inky, black puddle. Hanzo leaned against the nearby wall, looking down both ways to keep an eye out for the cryomancer.

Meanwhile, Bi-Han was carefully examining the room, easily finding the laptop on Kuai’s desk. The older brother rushed quickly to it, smirking when he saw that it was still unlocked. He knew that his younger brother was easily complacent - whenever Kuai believed that things were secure, he was more likely to make mistakes like these.

Bi-Han scanned through the various files before he hooked up a small screen into the USB insert of the computer. Its screen glowed blue as numbers, letters, and other characters started to fly as the device tried to guess the password for Bi-Han.

As he let the device do the work for him, Bi-Han clicked on Kuai’s laptop, looking into the more personal information that was stored on his device. The cursor of the mouse hovered over a file folder on the home screen with the basic background, labeled a ridiculously long name.

With his curiosity piqued, Bi-Han clicked on the folder to open it, revealing a set of documents. There were snapshots of emails and various pictures that were too small for Bi-Han to make out. Frowning in confusion, the shadow-manipulator double-clicked on one of the pictures.

As the application opened it up, Bi-Han’s eyes widened slightly in recognition. It had been a picture of a toddler Kuai being held by Bi-Han. At the time, they had been with their mother, who had taken the picture of the two. Bi-Han felt a tight feeling constrict in his chest before he shoved it aside. He continued to go through the various pictures of himself and Kuai Liang. How did his younger brother get his hands on these? Bi-Han had been forced by the Grandmaster to burn all of the images - yet, Kuai had saved some of them.

Bi-Han paused on one image. It was the only image of their mother sitting in a chair with Kuai and Bi-Han on her lap. They were all smiling happily as Kuai had his arms wrapped around Bi-Han in a hug. Bi-Han lifted a hand to trace the side of his mother’s face, aching for easier times.

Angrily, he shook the thought from his mind. He was an assassin - he didn’t have time for such trivial matters! Still, his eyes lingered on the image before he closed the picture, looking at the screenshots that Kuai had taken of saved emails and text messages.

Bi-Han scanned through them - all of the saved discussions were talking about him or Hanzo, for some reason. Bi-Han didn’t know why Kuai was so invested in Hanzo, but he only paid attention to the messages about him. He read through one of them:

 **Kuai:** Hey, Tomas? Can you talk?

 **Tomas:**?

 **Kuai:** ... 

**Kuai:** Sorry, nevermind.

 **Kuai:** It's not really important, anyway.

 **Tomas:** what’s wrong?

 **Kuai:** … 

**Kuai:** Today’s Bi-Han’s birthday.

 **Kuai:** Remember when we celebrated it together, shortly after you came to the Lin Kuei?

 **Kuai:** I remember.

 **Kuai:** I remember the smile he had on his face. I remember him telling me that he was proud of me. I can still see him, Tomas. 

**Kuai:** He was just Bi-Han. 

**Kuai:** Not Sub-Zero or Noob Saibot.

 **Kuai:** Just my older brother.

 **Kuai:** Sometimes, I have dreams about those moments. He’s there, hugging me and telling me how he’s happy to have me as a younger brother. 

**Kuai:** But then I wake up. I wake up and realize that it was all just in my head.

 **Kuai:** … 

**Kuai:** Those dreams hurt worse than my nightmares. 

**Tomas:** … 

**Tomas:** … i’m so sorry, Kuai.

 **Tomas:** we’ll get him back, one day. he will hug you and tell you how proud he is. you can be brothers again! you can go out and enjoy life together!

 **Kuai:** I think we both know that is never going to happen, Tomas.

 **Kuai:** … 

**Kuai:** He always did tell me that hope was a poison, you know?

 **Kuai:** Sure, it’s a sweet poison

 **Kuai:** But it always kills you in the end.

The transcript ended there. Bi-Han’s jaw clenched as he grew slightly uncomfortable. He closed the window, opening a more text message between Kuai and Johnny:

 **Johnny:** r u alright?

 **Johnny:** you left the meeting really quickly, man

 **Johnny:** we’re all worried about you

 **Johnny:** you’re a lot more quiet than usual

 **Johnny:** Sub?

 **Johnny:** Frosty?

 **Johnny:** Snowman?

 **Johnny:** don’t make me say it, man… 

**Johnny:** …

 **Johnny:** … Grandmaster Blueberry Ice?

 **Johnny:** … 

**Johnny:** … this is about your brother, isn’t it? I can see that you’re reading these… 

**Johnny:** i know that you’re worried about staying for a month here, but I’ve got your back! We’ve ALL got your back! You won’t have to worry about a damn thing! 

**Johnny:** Bi-Han and Hanzo aren’t going to lay ONE finger on you without our say-so!

 **Johnny:** … 

**Johnny:** come on, Kuai. say something, please. I’m worried about you. We can call off the training session if you’re not comfortable with coming over.

 **Johnny:** … 

**Johnny:** I know that I’m not the person you want to hear this from, but I’m proud of you. your brother is an idiot if he can’t see that. you killed shao kahn and saved earthrealm. I have a lot of respect for you.

 **Johnny:** but that’s the only time I’m saying this

 **Johnny:** so you better take a screenshot rn, before I delete it from your phone

 **Johnny:** Kuai?

 **Johnny:** … 

**Kuai:** I’m fine, Johnny. Thanks for checking up on me. I’ll be there. No need to cancel.

 **Kuai:** … 

**Kuai:** Thanks. It means a lot.

Bi-Han could picture Kuai reading through these messages with his eyes blurred with tears as he tried to compose himself. While the image would have made Bi-Han scoff in derision, Bi-Han only felt a surprising amount of guilt. He tried to shake it off of him, but couldn’t resist the urge to open up one final text conversation:

 **Kenshi:** Hi, Kuai. Takeda told me that you were looking for me.

 **Kuai:** You can text? (I don’t mean to sound insensitive…)

 **Kenshi:** LOL. Yes, I can. I’m using speech-to-text to text, and vice versa to hear what you’re saying.

 **Kenshi:** So proper grammar would be appreciated, thanks!

 **Kuai:** You were at the tournament and fought against Bi-Han in the Netherrealm, right?

 **Kenshi:** Yes, I did. Why?

 **Kuai:** Could you read his thoughts, or was his mind as cloudy as mine?

 **Kenshi:** I read him like an open book, Kuai.

 **Kenshi:** He’s a lot easier than you.

 **Kenshi:** In more ways than one.

 **Kenshi:** Why?

 **Kuai:** … 

**Kuai:** When he fought me, did he have any doubt in his mind? Was he hesitant at all, when he tried to kill me?

 **Kuai:** Or was it just all just blind hatred?

 **Kenshi:** … 

**Kenshi:** Sometimes, some questions are better left alone, without answers.

 **Kuai:** ... 

**Kuai:** He hated me, didn’t he?

 **Kuai:** He wanted to kill me.

 **Kuai:** I was just another obstacle to him. Even in life - because “family” is just another “weakness” to him. If the Grandmaster gave the order, he would have killed me without a second to waste, wouldn’t he?

 **Kenshi:** … 

**Kenshi:** I’m sorry, Kuai Liang. I wish I could lie to you to make the pain a little easier to bear, but I know that you wouldn’t appreciate it.

 **Kuai:** You’re right. I wouldn’t.

 **Kuai:** I don’t know why I keep asking you about what goes on in Bi-Han’s mind.

 **Kuai:** I already know - I just keep thinking that there was something I missed. This foolish, idiotic and childish side of me tells myself that he can be saved; that I can just have my older brother back.

 **Kuai:** But I know better.

 **Kuai:** My mind and logic tells me that he never loved me.

 **Kuai:** Why am I so hung up on him, Kenshi?

 **Kuai:** If he never loved me, why can’t I just let the past die?

 **Kenshi:** He may not have cared for you, but YOU did care about him, Kuai.

 **Kenshi:** It’s that love that makes it painful to lose him.

 **Kuai:** … 

**Kuai:** It hurts.

 **Kuai:** Maybe Bi-Han had the right idea. Maybe it just isn’t worth it to love.

 **Kenshi:** Don’t you ever let go of love, Kuai. The moment you do, you become Bi-Han. Love is a double-edged sword - it gives us joyous moments and lets us feel free and amazing. The loss is hard to deal with, but we still retain those beautiful memories that make us better people.

 **Kuai:** … 

**Kuai:** You’re right. Sorry for bothering you, Kenshi.

 **Kenshi:** It’s not a problem, Kuai. 

**Kenshi:** Not to sound too inquisitive, but what exactly brought this on?

 **Kuai:** … 

**Kuai:** I had a nightmare of being in that maze again. 

**Kuai:** Bi-Han looked like a monster, but I don’t think that anything changed from my memory to become a distorted nightmare.

 **Kuai:** I think that I was just seeing that memory from a different perspective, now that I know that he hated me.

 **Kuai:** … 

**Kuai:** I miss him… 

Bi-Han shut off the file folder with an upset growl. He wasn’t sure who he was angry with - Kuai or himself. He looked down at the device, which was starting to finish its process of discovering the password. Bi-Han turned back to look at the screen, taking the time to read the long title of the file folder that he had glossed over in the beginning:

“What Is Lost and Can Never Be Recovered”

The device pinged once, marking the end of its goal as Bi-Han sat in the chair, staring at the screen as he mulled over what he had seen.

Shaking the thoughts from his mind, Bi-Han snatched the device out of the laptop, shutting the lid closed as he reappeared out of the room to join with his partner-in-crime. Family was a weakness. He was a _wolf,_ not a sheep. He held up the device wordlessly for Hanzo to see, nodding once. 

“Be ready,” was all he said before he left the Special Forces base to initiate the events at the Lin Kuei temple.

* * *

Kuai walked back to his room with Johnny much later in the afternoon, their hangovers finally staved off with copious amounts of caffeine. 

“Okay,” Johnny was saying in conversation, “but hear me out! Superman would totally beat Batman on _any_ given day.”

To be honest, Kuai didn’t care about their current topic of discussion much, but he still humored Johnny by taking the opposite stance. Before he could explain why a martial artist would be able to easily topple a super-powered being without training, his phone buzzed in his pocket.

Frowning, Kuai pulled it out, holding it so that Johnny could read the text message with him. It was from Tomas, sent to him on his computer. It read as such:

_Tengu are attacking the base - need backup stat._

“Tengu?” Johnny asked in a perplexed manner. “Who the hell is that?”

“A rival clan that resides near us,” Kuai frowned as he re-read the text again. “It’s strange; they haven’t been too hostile to us when they discovered that the Lin Kuei had me as the Grandmaster - I wonder what’s going on.”

“You should go, then,” Johnny exclaimed, pushing Kuai forward. “Take the portal machine - you’ll get there much faster that way. Do you need any of us to come with you?”

“No,” Kuai reassured Johnny, sparing another glance down at the phone. “I’ll be fine. Just let the others know where I’ve gone.”

Kuai rushed hesitantly to the portal machine, staring at Tomas’s text the whole time. It was highly irregular of the enenra to text Kuai from his laptop - it was just unusual behavior. Furthermore, Tomas seldom used proper punctuation, especially capital letters. 

Nevertheless, Kuai couldn’t let the threat go unanswered - if it was real, he couldn’t ignore the plea for help. Kuai rushed into the isolated room at the back of the Special Forces base and activated the portal.

The machine hummed, glowing a bright blue color as Kuai walked over to the control panel. He entered the coordinates of the temple into the machine, the numbers flying to the forefront of his memory easily. With this complete, Kuai stepped up and walked through the blue circle, feeling himself fall through the air.

Meanwhile, while Kuai had left, Johnny stayed next to his room, fumbling with his keycard as he tried to get his door open. He cursed when the key was rejected on the third swipe, frowning as he examined the card.

“Um, Johnny? That’s _my_ door.”

Johnny whirled to see Kenshi smirking in amusement. “Aw, fuck,” Johnny sighed, stepping out of the way to let Kenshi unlock his bedroom door. “Sorry about that, man. I was just caught up thinking about things.”

“What?” Kenshi asked curiously, prompting the ex-actor to speak further.

“Kuai got a distress text from Tomas,” Johnny explained, “The Lin Kuei temple is under attack by Tengu forces, some kind of rival clan of the Lin Kuei. He went there immediately, but… I don’t know. There was something in his eyes… he seemed uncertain and confused about something.”

Kenshi froze, turning to Johnny. “Did he leave already?” the blind swordsman pressured Johnny, walking to him. “Did you see him leave? Did someone tamper with the control panel when he stepped through?”

“Whoa!” Johnny held up his hands to placate Kenshi. “Dude, chill. He just went through the portal himself. Why would someone mess with it?”

Kenshi turned his head in the direction of the portal machine, his mouth thinning into a single line. “Follow me,” he urged Johnny, grabbing his wrist as he pulled the other man with him. “What? Why?” Johnny complained as he was dragged along with the telepath.

“It’s a trap!” Kenshi snapped. “There’s no time to tell the others; we need to hurry if we’re going to stop it!”

As Johnny’s eyes widened in quick understanding, the two of them sprinted through the hallways to reach the portal machine, with a quest to help their friend.

* * *

When Kuai landed on his feet in a crouch, he whirled around, expecting to see the Lin Kuei temple in flames and soldiers storming the territory.

What he did _not_ expect to see was a barren field of snow. There was nothing, not even a single tree or bush in sight on this plain white field. Kuai looked around rapidly, trying to discern where he was. Had he entered the coordinates correctly? He could have sworn that he did… 

Kuai slowly walked around the area, frowning as he tried to look for the Lin Kuei temple. He came to an abrupt stop at the edge of an icy cliff that dropped suddenly. At the bottom of the ravine was a raging river that frothed and foamed, spitting up water as it hit the sides of the cliff.

A fall from this height would kill a person, Kuai realized, making him shiver slightly. He backed away from the edge for safety, turning around to walk in the other direction so that he could stumble across another landmark, hopefully leading back to the Lin Kuei.

He stopped in his tracks, eyes widening in surprise and sudden understanding.

“Bi-Han,” Kuai growled, getting into a defensive stance as he faced down his older brother, dressed in his black menacing uniform. “This is all your doing, I take it?”

“You are too easy to fool,” Bi-Han spoke smugly, a smirk crossing his face. “All I had to do was send you the message from Tomas’s computer - everything fell into place after that. I always told you that your soft heart would kill you one day.”

“Today is not that day,” Kuai declared, feeling vulnerable without his armor. He still was wearing the black leather jacket that was bulletproof, but it would not be able to withstand a direct downward knife strike, should it come to that. Bi-Han, on the other hand, was fully armored, already putting Kuai at the disadvantage.

Suddenly, in a torrent of flame, Hanzo Hasashi appeared beside Bi-Han. Kuai felt hope rise in his chest - maybe, he could convince the man to help him against Bi-Han; after all, hadn’t Kuai proved his innocence?

Instead, Bi-Han spared Hanzo a look. “You’re late,” his older brother spoke coolly before turning back to Kuai. Both of the older men got into fighting stances, making Kuai curse under his breath as he got into his own stance. He was now at a _severe_ disadvantage - no doubt, the two of them had scouted the area beforehand. They had the advantage in numbers, and thus, skill. 

But, Kuai had an advantage in the climate.

As his attackers rushed him, Kuai flipped in the air, dodging away from their strikes as he landed comfortably away from the edge of the cliff. He knew how to fight in the snow, while the others weren’t as experienced. Hopefully, Kuai could stay alive long enough for help to arrive.

However, Bi-Han and Hanzo picked up on their lack of mobility quickly. They began to rush at Kuai with projectiles and ranged attacks, making Kuai curse loudly as he had to dodge the attacks. As he was dodging fireballs and fighting off summoned shadow clones from Bi-Han, Kuai didn’t notice the kunai that went sailing through the air. It lodged itself in the cryomancer’s left shoulder, burying deep into the flesh.

Kuai let out a howl of pain, lifting a hand instinctively to pull it out before Hanzo could reel him in to finish him. However, this moment of distraction had been enough for Bi-Han to push forward. 

A shadow clone shoved Kuai forward from behind. Kuai stumbled through the red-stained snow toward the two fighters, growling as he dispatched the clone with a punch. However, the act had forced Kuai to turn his back on the other two. Kuai felt an arm wrap around his neck, choking him as he was dragged toward the cliff through the snow.

Kuai could see out of the corner of his eye something that shocked him; Hanzo was being restrained by Saibot - the shadow clone - who had the Shirai Ryu’s arms held back. “Don’t worry, Hanzo,” Bi-Han called out gleefully as he dragged Kuai to the edge of the cliff. “I’ll be the one to kill him for you; this kill is mine.”

The cryomancer struggled in earnest, trying to throw off his bigger brother’s weight off of him. Bi-Han retaliated by bringing down his elbow on Kuai’s head, making his vision go dark for a minute.

When Kuai opened his eyes sluggishly again, he found that Bi-Han had a hand clenched on the neck of his white undershirt, dangling Kuai off of the edge. The cryomancer gasped, scrambling his feet on the edge of the cliff where his toes were just handing on the snowy ground. In truth, Bi-Han’s grip was the only thing that was keeping him alive. 

Kuai’s hands gripped tightly on Bi-Han’s wrist, eyes wide as he stared up into Bi-Han’s dark, cold brown eyes.

In the background, Kuai could hear Hanzo curse as he tried to throw Saibot off of him - he was burning the shadow, but it kept repairing itself, negating the damage. Kuai continued to look up at Bi-Han with terrified eyes.

“Why?” Kuai asked in a hoarse whisper as the sounds of fighting in the background died out. The field was eerily quiet now - Kuai couldn’t tell if it was because the fighting had stopped, or if it was just in his head. “Why are you doing this?”

“Because I can,” Bi-Han smirked cruelly, lifting a knife in his other hand that wasn’t holding onto Kuai’s shirt.

Kuai eyed the silver blade as his vision blurred. Tears started to stream down his face. Bi-Han’s hand slackened in shock, letting go of the white shirt. Kuai was only staying anchored to the ground by holding onto Bi-Han’s wrist with his hands as he dangled off of the edge. If Kuai let go, he would fall to the river that was a little more than three-hundred meters below. It crashed tumultuously over itself, the water splashing up as it seemed to try and reach Kuai to pull him under.

“Stop that,” Bi-Han hissed. “Stop crying, you idiot! Family is a weakness that I have to eliminate from my life, and let’s face it; you were never strong enough to live and rise to the top. Only one of us can live in this world for the other to have peace!”

Kuai shut his eyes, letting the tears fall from the corners of his eyes. “But you promised,” he spoke in a broken whisper, the words echoing through the barren field. “You promised me, Bi-Han.”

**_“I promise.”_ **

_Bi-Han and Kuai were in their shared bedroom when they were still rooming together. Bi-Han kicked the door angrily, spitting curses and hateful words at the Lin Kuei soldiers who had shoved them into their room._

_The older brother sighed, looking over at his younger brother. Kuai was curled on the mat spread, wrapping a blanket around his shoulders as his shoulders shook. He was crying, Bi-Han realized, and guilt overwhelmed him. He was angrily shouting at the Lin Kuei and had completely forgotten about young Kuai, who had just been separated from his mother._

_Bi-Han walked over to Kuai, kneeling next to him as he gently pulled the blanket off of the child’s head. Kuai looked up at his older brother, his eyes shining with tears as his lip quivered. Bi-Han held Kuai in his arms, rubbing his back soothingly as he kissed the top of his younger brother’s head._

_“I wanna go home,” Kuai sobbed. “I wanna be with mom!”_

_Bi-Han’s heart wrenched painfully for his younger brother - Kuai was too young to be separated from his mother. “It’s going to be okay,” he told Kuai in a soft, soothing voice, rubbing small circles on his back. “We’ll make a new life here - think about it, Kuai! Just you and me, against the world.”_

_Kuai started to sniffle, his uncontrollable sobs starting to die out in intensity as Bi-Han continued. “I’m going to look after you,” Bi-Han said quietly, resting his chin on Kuai’s head as the younger boy buried his head in Bi-Han’s chest. “No one’s going to hurt you.”_

_“Promise?” Kuai asked, looking up at Bi-Han with wide eyes. “Just the two of us against the world?”_

**_“I promise,”_ ** _Bi-Han spoke firmly, sealing the vow as he hugged Kuai tightly. “I’m your older brother; of course I’ll look over you.”_

Bi-Han blinked, returning back to the present. The knife in his hand was falling from his grip as he turned to the side, thinking about the memory between him and Kuai Liang. He then remembered the events that had led up to his moment and felt a wave of guilt, shock, and horror overtake him. He looked back to his younger brother who was clutching on his wrist with a hard look, his eyes full of self-hatred.

However, Kuai obviously misinterpreted the look. While Bi-Han had only hatred for himself at that moment, Kuai understood the look to be anger directed at _him._ “I’m sorry,” Kuai spoke with a choked voice as Bi-Han frowned in confusion. “I should have been a better brother,” Kuai continued, taking a deep breath.

From the back, Hanzo froze in sudden understanding, the word "brother" ringing through his head.

“You were right, Bi-Han. Only one of us can live in this world for the other to have peace, and it’s not me,” Kuai finished, giving Bi-Han a small, bittersweet smile.

He let go.

“NO!” Bi-Han shouted as he dropped the knife in his hand, lunging forward to catch Kuai as his younger brother fell over the edge.

There was a moment when the two brothers’ fingers brushed against each other. Kuai looked up at Bi-Han in a shocked, scared look - but it was too late. Bi-Han fell to the ground, lying on his stomach as he stuck his head over the edge of the cliff.

All that the older brother could see was the inky black water rolling in tumultuous waves as it beat violently against the icy walls of the cliffs. 

There was a flash of light from behind Bi-Han’s back.

Kenshi and Johnny rushed into the field, looking around wildly. “No,” Johnny spoke in disbelief as he took in the scene. Hanzo was lying on the ground on his side and propped up on his elbow, Saibot having disappeared when Kuai went over the edge. Bi-Han slowly got onto his knees, staring down at the rolling river below as his hands shook violently.

“He’s not gone!” Johnny insisted, turning to Kenshi for support. The telepath had his head bowed in silence, clenching his jaw tightly as his hands shook in anger. 

“I told you, Hanzo,” Kenshi sighed, shaking his head with disappointment as the Shirai Ryu stared at the spot where Kuai had been dangling. “Revenge is the path best-not-taken. But you couldn’t resist, could you?”

“I didn’t…” Hanzo trailed off, continuing to stare in shock at the empty space. “I didn’t know it was _him…”_

Johnny covered his mouth with one hand as he fell to his knees in shock, the truth finally settling in. “Oh, gods. I think I’m going to be sick.”

Kenshi walked up to Bi-Han at the edge of the cliff. He continued to look out over the edge, staring at the river below. 

“You shut yourself off from love and family,” Kenshi told Bi-Han, “and you’ve finally succeeded. I thought that you would be happier.”

Bi-Han whirled around, glaring up at Kenshi with anger and guilt. The telepath sighed, looking out to the view. “It’s always too little, too late,” he murmured mournfully. “Such is the way of life. That’s why I thoroughly enjoyed Kuai’s company; he always gave it his all, no matter the situation.”

“What are we going to tell Tomas?” Johnny asked, the implications dawning in his mind. “Satoshi is going to be devastated…”

“We all go home,” Kenshi spoke slowly. “Call Sonya. Tell her what happened. I… I’ll call Tomas - let him know.”

No one moved after Kenshi had spoken. They all stared solemnly at the space where Kuai had been moments ago, taking in their new, darker reality.


	16. Goodbye, Forever

**_How do I live without the ones I love?_ **

**_Time still turns the pages of the book it's burned._ **

**_Place and time always on my mind;_ **

**_I have so much to say but you're so far away…_ **

**\- Avenged Sevenfold, “So Far Away”**

* * *

Hanzo stumbled through the portal machine after Johnny, Kenshi, and Bi-Han, the events of the past half-hour whirling through his mind.

It had been firmly established - Sub-Zero had been Kuai Liang. Every time this thought flew through Hanzo’s mind, he only felt more confused and sickened. He tried to kill him, back in the tournaments and in the snow minutes ago. Memories of the young, shining boy who had lived at the Shirai Ryu spiraled in Hanzo’s mind.

_He had killed him…_

Johnny stumbled in his steps, falling to the ground as he sat in the middle of the portal room, staring at the door blankly in shock as the portal started to die down in power, making the room a lot darker than it was, to begin with. 

Kenshi sighed heavily, walking over to Johnny as he placed a hand on the man’s shoulder. Johnny covered his face with his hands as his shoulders started to shake.

Bi-Han had walked immediately to the corner of the room, crossing his arms tightly. In a distressed manner, he ran a hand through his hair as the other one lifted up to cover his own mouth. Both of his hands were still trembling, albeit less than they had been on the snowy plains where they had been.

Suddenly, the door burst open as Sonya stepped inside, the others following behind her. With a single order from the General, the soldiers in the room who were overseeing the portal started to disperse until it was only the kombatants in the room. Jax, at the back of the group, shut the door tightly, locking it to ensure that no one else could enter.

“WHAT THE FUCK?!” Sonya shouted. “Is someone - _anyone_ \- going to tell me what’s going on? Cage, why did you take a spontaneous jump to the outskirts of Lin Kuei territory?”

Johnny started to cry.

Those who didn’t know what had happened jerked back in shock, sharing concerned looks. Slowly, Stryker approached Johnny on the floor, rubbing his shoulders comfortingly.

“Come on, man,” the cop encouraged Johnny, “Just take deep breaths. Deep breaths.”

As Johnny recuperated from his moment of sorrow, Sonya scanned the group, frowning in confusion. “Where is Sub-Zero?”

“Kuai’s dead.” Kenshi took a deep breath as he shook his head. “I’m… I can’t believe it.”

There was an elongated pause.

“This has got to be the most elaborate prank the three of you have set up,” Jax chuckled, breaking the awkward silence. “Wow; the crying, the acting - it’s unreal, Cage. Well done; you had me going there for a second. How the hell did you get Hanzo and Bi-Han roped into this?”

“IT’S NOT A FUCKING JOKE!” Johnny shouted with a sudden burst of rage as he pointed angrily at Hanzo and Bi-Han. “Those… FUCKS… they killed him! They lured him out of the base with a text about the Lin Kuei being under attack, and they killed him!”

“Whoa,” Sonya said, raising her hands to calm Johnny down. “Those are some serious accusations, Johnny.”

“It’s true,” Johnny hissed, getting back onto his feet as he stalked over to Bi-Han in the corner. “Tell them what you did, you fucktard. Tell them how you killed your own FUCKING BROTHER!!!”

There was another period of silence as Bi-Han took a shaky breath.

“I… I used Tomas’s computer to send Kuai a message,” Bi-Han confessed. “It’s true - with Hanzo’s help, we overpowered Kuai. I wanted the final kill, so I had Saibot hold Hasashi back as I held Kuai over the ledge of the cliff. I - I was going to pull him back, but he just let go!”

“You’re so full of shit!” Johnny raged as he lunged at Bi-Han. Jax and Kenshi were quick to intervene, stepping forward to hold Johnny back from Bi-Han. “Why couldn’t you have died, instead?” Johnny cried out in anger as Kenshi pulled him out of the room. “He saved your lives and was the only one here who gave a shit about you! This is how you repay him? With your fucking words and punches? Go back to the fucking Netherrealm, you two pieces of -”

The door shut behind Jax and Johnny, bringing silence back to the room.

“This has got to be a fucking joke,” Stryker chuckled uncertainly, looking at the shocked faces in the room. “Come on, there’s no way that Kuai would just give up - he’s not like that, right?”

“I told him that one of us had to die for the other to live in peace,” Bi-Han spoke, recalling the words he had spat at his younger brother in their confrontation. “He took it to the extreme.”

“Of course he did,” Kabal groaned, raising a hand to his forehead. “He always puts others first before him; what did you think he was going to do, push _you_ over the edge?”

“Shit,” Sonya hissed, covering her mouth with her hand as she was struck with a sudden realization, “who’s going to tell -”

“Mom?”

The adults all whirled around to see the kids in the doorway, with Satoshi standing behind them. They all peered into the room with confusion on their faces. “Um, did the mission go okay?” Cassie asked, trying to decipher the looks.

“Um,” Sonya spoke, hesitating in one of the rarer moments of her life. “Why don’t you guys go back to the dorms, really quick? I promise to update you later, alright?”

“I saw Kenshi with Uncle Johnny in the hallway,” Jacqui spoke, frowning as she grew more suspicious. “Johnny was crying - what happened?”

“Look, now isn’t a good time,” Sonya began, trying to get the kids out of the room so that the news could be broken to them more gently.

“Kuai’s dead, isn’t he?” 

Satoshi had spoken up, asking the question quietly as he pieced together Johnny’s emotional distress and the faces of Hanzo and Bi-Han, along with the absence of the cryomancer. “Well?” he snapped, a sudden and unusual burst of anger rising from him. “Is he?!”

“... I’m so sorry, kid,” Jax said quietly, looking at the floor.

“No,” Satoshi shook his head as his voice trembled. He took slow, shaky steps backward as tears started to appear in his eyes. “No, he’s _not_ dead. He _always_ comes back! He’s always prepared for anything!”

“Except,” Kabal sighed, casting a look toward Bi-Han and Hanzo, “for mutiny and betrayal amongst his team.”

Satoshi followed Kabal’s look to his father. Hanzo sighed, meeting the look of his son, who was looking down at Hanzo in shock and rage as the implication finally struck him. “I don’t want to talk to you ever again,” Satoshi hissed through clenched teeth before he stalked out of the room. The Kombat Kids worriedly followed after him, leaving the adults in the room once again.

Kenshi re-entered the portal room after the kids had left, nodding at Sonya. “I put Johnny in the medical bay. The nurses gave him some drugs to make him sleep - I think you should be there to comfort him when he wakes up.”

“We’re not even married, anymore,” Sonya grumbled, but she still left the room to stay by her ex’s side.

Sonya’s departure prompted the others to slowly trickle out of the room, leaving Bi-Han and Hanzo alone in the portal room.

The silence was suffocating to Hanzo as he was left alone to deal with the consequences of his actions. Because of his brashness and anger, Kuai had died. Because he had enabled Bi-Han to get into his head, Kuai was dead. Quan Chi may have killed off the Shirai Ryu, but Kuai’s death was Hanzo’s own doing.

“Why does your son know my brother?” Bi-Han asked dully, bringing Hanzo out of his tormented thoughts.

“When your brother left the Lin Kuei,” Hanzo responded, “he ran to Shirai Ryu territory. He became a Shirai Ryu warrior and was adopted by my father and mother. He became Satoshi’s uncle by default - I should have realized that it was him,” he spoke, his voice breaking at the end.

“Don’t blame yourself, Hasashi,” Bi-Han sighed in a rare display of emotion from the man, “This was everything to do with me. It was my idea, to begin with, remember? I was the one who dragged you into this. I held him off of the edge - I let him fall.”

“Why are you telling me this?” Hanzo snapped, “I still helped you to subdue him! Why are you so concerned about how I feel?! I _killed_ you - remember? We’re enemies!”

“And I killed you as well,” Bi-Han growled before the anger dissipated from his body. “Look at us; do you think that Kuai would have wanted us to bicker amongst ourselves? He would have wanted his family to stay together. The fact is, our rivalry has been a never-ending cycle, and I can’t even remember what sparked it off, to begin with. Let the past die, Hasashi. Do it for _him.”_

Hanzo’s face crumpled as Bi-Han referenced Kuai again. The older brother was right; the Kuai Liang that Hanzo remembered would not have wanted his surviving family to be driven apart by foolish rifts and petty squabbles. The only person that Hanzo had a problem with was Quan Chi - his anger had cost him his relationship with his son and Kuai. He would not let it consume him ever again.

“I’m sorry for killing you in the tournament,” Hanzo spoke slowly, meeting Bi-Han’s glassy eyes.

“And I’m sorry for killing you all those years ago with the retrieval of the map,” Bi-Han responded, nodding at Hanzo in acknowledgment.

It was a start in the right direction, for once.

* * *

About an hour after returning to the Special Forces HQ, Hanzo found himself standing on the roof of the building, leaning on the railing as he looked out to the sky.

The cold air whipped against Hanzo’s face, making his cheeks hurt as he continued to stand, ignoring the cold and the pain it brought. He took a shuddering breath as he clenched his hands tightly on the metal bars, bowing his head in sorrow.

“Hanzo,” a voice called out from behind him.

The Shirai Ryu turned slowly, seeing Kenshi slowly approaching him. The swordsman nodded once in a silent greeting, coming to stand next to Hanzo as he leaned his forearms on the railing. “How are you?” the telepath asked.

“You don’t have to keep up your pretense and fake smiles,” Hanzo spoke in a quiet voice. “I killed him; you have every right to be mad at me.”

“I would take up that offer,” Kenshi sighed, “if I was a worse person. The others are grieving, but I can tell how this is affecting both you and Bi-Han. I just spoke to him - I’ve never seen as much emotion from him as I did just now. It’s such a shame that it took something like this to bring your rivalry with Bi-Han to an end.”

Hanzo felt his throat constrict painfully as the words settled in.

“You are in pain, my friend,” Kenshi said, placing a hand on Hanzo’s shoulder. “Kuai would have not wanted us to fight amongst ourselves, even if it was his death that started this. He loved the two of you, even when you were Scorpion and Bi-Han was Noob Saibot. He was always looking for a way to restore you back to your human forms with the books at the Sky Temple and Lin Kuei.”

“Yes, he cared about me,” Hanzo snapped, “and look where it got him! An early, watery grave because he couldn’t just give up on me. He should have just turned me away and lived his life.”

“Kuai was _not_ that kind of person,” Kenshi scolded, “and you know that. He never gave up, especially for those that he loved. He may be dead, but you have the chance to redeem yourself, Hanzo. Live honorably - fight for him, just as you continue to fight for your dead family.”

Hanzo held his head in his hands as Kenshi placed his hand on the Shirai Ryu’s back. “I know that things are bad, right now. Things can only get better from here - there will be light again, one day.”

“We just have to endure,” Kenshi murmured solemnly as they both looked to the sunset together. “Carry on, in this dark and cruel world.”

* * *

Hanzo sat alone in Kuai’s unlocked room, sitting cross-legged on the bed as he took in the pictures around the room.

The door had been unlocked for the other kombatants to come in and leave as they wanted to, reminiscing on old memories and better times. It was a period of mourning for the base - even the low-ranking soldiers who patrolled the base were devastated. It was revealed to Hanzo that Kuai had a big hand in training the operatives, which was why the atmosphere was collectively somber and depressing.

Hanzo held two things in his hands. One of the objects was a frame - it was a picture of Kuai and Satoshi together. It was taken when the two of them were in New York, about the time when the two of them had finally flown from Asia to the United States. The picture was probably captured to celebrate and mark their new lives. Hanzo’s finger traced the side of Kuai’s grinning face in the image - something that he’d never be able to see again.

The other object that Hanzo held was the silver mask that he had given Kuai on the day that the Shirai Ryu had been wiped out - Kuai’s eighteenth birthday. He had found it tucked into a drawer of the cryomancer’s shirts, placed gently between the articles of clothing. It had clearly been in good care - after all these years, the mask was still in pristine condition. Kuai had obviously valued the mask - cherished it - because he thought that Hanzo had died.

Hanzo wished that he could trade places with the cryomancer, at that moment.

With the bedroom door shut, for now, Hanzo set the picture down as he hid his face behind his hands. He now began to cry silently, trying to keep quiet so that no one else could hear him. It was because of him that Kuai was dead, and everything he saw in this room was reminding him of the fact.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Hanzo quickly rubbed his face as he took a short time to compose himself before he walked over to the door, throwing it open.

Thankfully, it wasn’t Johnny or one of the others that had come to shout at him - instead, Takeda stood behind the door, bowing shortly to his former teacher. “Master Hasashi,” Takeda greeted briefly, “I just wanted to let you know that Sonya has made the call to Tomas, Kuai’s friend. He was going to come to pay his respects at the funeral ceremony, but he needs to lead the funeral service at the Lin Kuei. With the ceremony starting in a few minutes, he won’t be able to make it.”

Hanzo nodded in response, looking back to the room before he stepped outside, shutting the door behind him. He felt as though he didn’t belong in the room - it seemed a rude intrusion. Takeda patted his teacher’s shoulder comfortingly.

“Satoshi is grieving right now,” Takeda elaborated. “The other kids are comforting him as we are all healing.”

“You’re not angry at me?” Hanzo asked hoarsely, looking down at Takeda.

The young boy paused. “Angry… isn’t the right word. Disappointed, maybe. But I know that you and Sub-Zero had a rough past - I’m just sad that it had to culminate in this.”

Takeda took one last moment to look up to Hanzo, smiling sadly. “He taught me a lot,” Takeda confessed. “Not just in fighting, but also practical life stuff as well. Did you know that he was the one who pressed my father to stay in touch with me, while he was hunting the Red Dragon? If it weren’t for Kuai, I don’t think that I and my father would be on such good terms.”

Hanzo’s heart clenched painfully as he remembered Kuai’s words of wisdom, even as a little child. He always had the right thing to say, whether you wanted to hear it or not. Nevertheless, he always and only gave it to help his friends. 

Takeda reached to take Hanzo’s hand, gripping it firmly. “Let’s go to the funeral ceremony,” his former pupil urged as he pulled Hanzo through the halls and toward the front doors of the base. “I’ll stay by your side the whole time.”

Hanzo nodded thankfully at Takeda as the two of them walked together. They came to a stop at the double doors leading outside. Hanzo placed his palm flat on the door, hesitating for a brief second. Before Takeda could comment on it, Hanzo pushed the door open.

There were torches lit to illuminate the area. The artificial lights and other sources of light had been shut off in honor of the fallen warrior. The torches reminded Hanzo of the paths of the Shirai Ryu when it was night - the torches would light the way. There was a large crowd in the pavilion of the base as the embers from the fire rose up lazily into the night sky.

Hanzo could spot Bi-Han in the back, far away from the crowd as he tried to keep to himself. For the most part, no one paid him much attention. The kombatants were all sitting in folding chairs at the very front of the space - Hanzo saw Nightwolf there as well, remembering him from the tournament. Johnny stood on a crate at the very front so that the crowd could see him. He held a laptop in his hand that was connected to a projector so that the people could all see his screen.

Even Liu Kang, the Elder God was there. Hanzo recognized him immediately, his appearance not changing at all since the tournament. Standing on either side of him were people that Hanzo didn’t recognize - a woman in dark blue robes along with three other men. One of the men wore a straw hat along with white and light blue robes while another man was dressed in a dark red (almost mahogany) and blue robes with a razor-edged hat. The last man had his white hair tied back in a long single braid that fell down his back with silver and white robes. 

The Shirai Ryu chose to stay near the doors with Takeda, who clenched his teacher’s hand a little tighter to reassure him. As the soft murmurs of the crowd died down, Johnny began to speak.

“Um, I’m not… very good at giving speeches,” he confessed, “In all honesty, Satoshi was the one who should have done this, but he’s locked up in his room right now, and won’t come out. Tomas is at the Lin Kuei and couldn’t make it, so I guess it’s up to me…”

He choked on his words, taking a moment to collect himself.

“I met Kuai at the Mortal Kombat tournament when Shao Kahn was trying to invade Earthrealm,” Johnny spoke. “At first appearance, he was every bit the cold, distant person that you would think a cryomancer would be. I’m sure that a lot of you had the same first impression, huh?”

There were muttered agreements and small chuckles as Johnny paused, letting the memories flow through the crowd.

“But as we all came to know,” Johnny continued, “that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Kuai Liang was a compassionate, kind person who didn’t seem to be suited for the fight. And despite his good heart, he still kicked ass like no other person. In the end, even though he may have been killed because of his kindness and dedication to his friends, We can all learn something from his example.”

“Whether he taught you to fight or to live your life the way you wanted to, the greatest lesson he could ever give us was that there’s never too much love in this world,” Johnny stated. He looked out into the crowd as he hammered his message, trying to get them to heal from their pain. “Yeah, it’s true; people can be fucking assholes. But it’s up to _us_ to be the _better person._ We can be better than them - we sure as hell don’t have to stoop down to their level. Hold onto those people that you love, because one day, they could be taken from you. And when it happens, you’ll be left there, thinking to yourself that you never knew what you had until it was taken from you.”

Johnny paused, looking down at the laptop that was hooked up to the two projectors on either side of him. Hanzo let the man’s surprisingly eloquent words wash over him, committing the lesson to memory as Johnny took a deep breath.

“Kuai and I… we were pretty good friends,” Johnny said. “With Kenshi, the three of us found ourselves pulling tricks and pranks on our other friends - there was never a dull day with the three of us together. I… I found some videos on my phone and GoPro that had some of those fun memories.”

On the screens that were set up, Hanzo saw a video start to play. The scene was taken at a public part of some sort with Kenshi and Kuai sitting on the same bench. The person who was holding the camera was sitting at the far left.

 _“Alright,”_ Johnny on the video said, aiming the camera directly at an embarrassed Kuai, who was covering his face with a raised elbow. _“Tell it to me one more time; what did you think that a jalapeno was?”_

 _“... One of your shit movies,”_ Kuai on the video snapped as his hand swiped at the camera. _“Shut the fuck up, Johnny!”_

 _“Okay, okay,”_ Kenshi placated the two of them, separating their wrestling with his powers. _“Take deep breaths, you two. I am_ **_not_ ** _explaining to the police why there are three skyscrapers on the verge of collapse because of you two, again. We can get ice-cream, but for fuck's sake, don't burn down the place!”_

 _“He started it,”_ Kuai spoke childishly, crossing his arms.

The video stopped there, transitioning over to a car ride. Johnny held the camera again, flipping the camera between himself, Kenshi, and Kuai. The cryomancer was driving as Johnny sat in the passenger seat with Kenshi in the back.

 _“WHOO!”_ Johnny on the video exclaimed. _“Vegas, baby!!!”_

 _“That’s the fifth time you’ve said that,”_ Kuai noted. _“And I’m not very happy, right now. Do you know what happens to people who piss me off, Johnny? They get ice over their mouth. So, if I were you, I’d shut the fuck up.”_

Johnny snickered. _“Whatever you say, you emo bitch.”_

Kuai wordlessly flicked on the stereo of the car as My Chemical Romance started to play. 

The cryomancer unabashedly upped the volume, making Johnny groan loudly on the video as he turned it off.

 _“Look,”_ Kuai snapped as he swatted Johnny’s hand away, _“Just because you have_ **_shit_ ** _taste in music -”_

 _“Excuse you!”_ Johnny exclaimed, _“Taylor Swift is a fucking QUEEN. How dare you insult her, you rock-and-roll hillbilly?!”_

 _“Did you know,”_ Kenshi remarked, _“that people who listen to pop music are more likely to be extroverted? They lack creativity and can be nervous every now and then, but they have high self-esteem. That’s very like you, isn’t it, Johnny?”_

 _“Damn right!”_ Johnny exclaimed proudly.

 _“And people who listen to rock music are more introverted,”_ Kenshi continued, _“They’re very intuitive people and are usually more creative, but have lower self-esteem. How close to the nose am I hitting for you, Kuai?”_

 _“Too fucking close,”_ Kuai snapped as his hands tightened on the wheel, _“so shut the fuck up, Kenshi. I get this random suicidal urge, every now and then. I may want to drive off of this bridge and take you fuckers with me - if you push me enough.”_

 _“You take the fun out of everything, Kenshi,”_ Johnny complained, _“Now, whenever I make a joke about Kuai’s music taste, I’m gonna feel so bad!”_

Kenshi shrugged. _“That’s just me - the ruiner of all fun. Did you know that spending a few months in Antarctica can shrink your brain?”_

Kuai and Johnny groaned simultaneously. _“Now look what you’ve done,”_ Kuai snapped at Johnny. _“You’ve got him spouting his unimportant, shitty, useless bits of knowledge.”_

 _“The longest bicycle in the world is over 135 feet long,”_ Kenshi continued, smirking as they continued to drive. _“The Ethiopian calendar is seven years behind the rest of the world. Clams have feet. There’s a phone in Japan to call the dead. If you folded a piece of paper 42 times, it would be thick enough to reach the moon. The word ‘oxymoron’ is an oxymoron itself. Hey, Kuai - did you know -”_

Kenshi let out a muffled shout of surprise as ice sealed over his mouth. Johnny laughed at Kenshi’s predicament before ice encased the former actor’s mouth as well, making Johnny groan in complaint.

Kuai flicked on the stereo again, letting “Dead!” play in the car as the cryomancer sighed contently. _“I should shut the both of you up more often. It’s a lot more peaceful, don’t you think?”_

More videos continued to play, showing Kuai interacting with Johnny, Kenshi, and also Satoshi as well. Seeing this personal side to Kuai made Hanzo feel more guilty - he had been responsible for ending his life. Now, Kuai couldn’t continue to make more of these memories with his family and friends.

As everyone else grieved, Hanzo stepped back inside the base, shutting the doors behind him. He found his feet carrying him back to Kuai’s empty room, dragging him through the dark, lonely hallways until he was at the door.

Stepping inside, Hanzo retrieved the silver mask once more, gripping it tightly in his left hand as he walked to the closet. There, on the hangers, were Kuai’s uniforms hung neatly. There was an abandoned hanger in the back, most likely for that leather jacket that the cryomancer had been wearing when he had died.

Hanzo lifted his right hand to hold onto the blue silk headband that was wrapped around the neck of the hanger. He untied the loose knot, holding onto the blue cloth as he walked out of the bedroom, shutting the door softly behind him as he planted his back against the wood.

Slowly, Hanzo slid down to the floor, letting his shaking legs collapse from under him as he clutched the blue ribbon and the silver mask tightly to his chest. Hanzo shut his eyes, bowing his head as the tears ran down his face. He cried for Hideo, for Aiya, and for Harumi. He cried for Kuai Liang, who was now in heaven, reunited with his family.


	17. A Strange, Foreign Land

**_Am I bleeding?_ **

**_Am I bleeding from the storm?_ **

**_Just shine a light into the wreckage;_ **

**_So far away, away…_ **

**_'Cause I'm still breathing._ **

**_'Cause I'm still breathing on my own._ **

**_My head's above the rain and roses,_ **

**_Making my way away._ **

**_'Cause I'm still breathing._ **

**_'Cause I'm still breathing on my own._ **

**_My head's above the rain and roses;_ **

**_Making my way away, my way to you._ **

**\- Green Day, “Still Breathing”**

* * *

_Drowning was an exhausting process._

_Kuai had shut his eyes when he fell into the rolling rapids. The second that his body made contact with the water, he felt an excruciating pain in his chest. He knew from memory that his ribs were likely broken - but it didn’t matter…_

_What use were broken ribs when he was going to die, anyway?_

_The water rolled over Kuai’s head, throwing him this way and that. He felt his body hit rocks and other branches in the water as he let the current drag him under. Was he dead yet? Was this his transition from the mortal realm to the afterlife?_

_After colliding with more rocks, Kuai felt himself falling. It was so dark in the water that Kuai couldn’t tell what was going on. He fell for what seemed an eternity before he fell into more water, being pushed by an unknown force down into the watery depths._

_As the water flooded his lungs and his vision darkened, Kuai tried to recall Satoshi’s face one last time before he died, looking down to his feet through the water._

_The only image he received were the undead, ghostly eyes of Scorpion and Noob Saibot as they stared blankly at Kuai. Without warning, they both lunged at Kuai from below him as they seized his legs. They worked in unison to drag Kuai lower into the water, never to be found ever again._

_He screamed, the sound muffled by the water as bubbles of air escaped his mouth._

* * *

Kuai gasped, sitting upright in the bed as his hand instinctively reached up to clutch at his head.

“Lie back down,” a voice with a strangely familiar accent gently urged Kuai. Soft hands were placed on Kuai’s shoulder and chest as the cryomancer was eased back down onto the pillows, resting his head back. “You were almost dead - you need to rest.”

Kuai slowly looked up to see who it was that had helped him. His breathing started to become more shallow and rushed as he saw a figure looming over him.

“Oh, no,” Kuai groaned as he shut his eyes tightly. “Not _you.”_

Erron Black grinned in response, looking down at the cryomancer. “Aw, that’s hurtful, sweetheart. Don’t you think that death can keep you from me, Renegade. I’ll admit, I was pretty taken aback when I saw that jacket again. It’s been what - twenty years?” His eyelashes fluttered flirtatiously as he spoke in that honey-like voice that was reserved for Kuai.

The cryomancer shoved Erron back with his unbroken hand, shifting into a sitting position as he winced from the pain. “Where am I, Black?” Kuai snapped, trying to gain more information about his current situation. 

“Your body was found on the beaches,” Erron responded, walking away to fetch a glass of water as the cowboy handed it to Kuai. “Today’s Tuesday, by the way, in case you were wonderin’.”

Kuai choked on the water, coughing as he tried to compose himself. Erron rushed to his side, helping Kuai breathe as another voice called out, carrying a distinct echo:

“Bothering our guest already, Erron?”

Both Kuai and Erron turned to see Ermac floating into the room. Kuai’s eyes widened in recognition, remembering the soul husk from the tournament. Ermac nodded once at Kuai, not seeming to show any hostility over past events.

“You fought well in the tournament,” Ermac complimented in his echoing voice, “We have been given independent thoughts and can think for ourselves - thanks to Outworld’s new emperor, Kotal Kahn.”

“I’m in Outworld,” Kuai huffed, shaking his head. “How the hell…?”

“Actually, we were all _very_ curious about that,” Erron replied, leaning against the nearby wall as he looked at Kuai. “How does someone get from Earthrealm to Outworld without teleportation?”

“... I fell,” Kuai recalled, “In the Lin Kuei territory, there are rivers that empty out into the big oceans. I must have been carried by the current to Outworld - how am I not dead? That happened three days ago!”

“...” Erron and Ermac shared a glance before the cowboy eased Kuai gently onto his feet. “The fishermen found your body and saw that you were an Earthrealmer. They let Kotal know, and that’s why you’re in Outworld’s palace right now. Now that you're awake, let’s get you to Kotal.”

Kuai hissed in pain as his arm was thrown around Erron’s shoulder, the cowboy supporting the cryomancer as he transported Kuai out of the room. “Damn,” Erron exclaimed in shock, “You’re cold as hell, Renegade.”

“It’s a family thing,” Kuai responded, huffing as he realized that it wasn’t _completely_ a lie. Erron didn’t press any further, helping Kuai up the stairs as Ermac lagged behind. They came to a wide and open room with polished stone floors. At the back of the room were two thrones. 

Kuai recognized the Osh-Tekk markings on the man sitting on the throne to the right - Kotal Kahn - recalling the information he had read on their race. Sitting next to him was a beautiful woman who looked like she hailed from Edenia. She wore a green flowing cloak and had a glowing green staff resting against the back of her throne. 

From the corner of the room, Kuai jolted in surprise when he saw Reptile stalk forward, dragging a chair to place it before Kotal, making room for Erron to help Kuai sit down.

Next to the emperor was a figure that was more insect-like in appearance than human. The overall shape of the individual may have been human, but the look was definitely like a bug. Kuai remembered reading about the _Kytinn_ species, drawing similarities between her and the images in the scrolls. She sneered distrustfully at Kuai, who ignored looking at her for the emperor.

Kotal bowed his head to look down at Kuai, who was clutching his side as the broken ribs started to cause him more discomfort. “What is your name, Earthrealmer?” Kotal rumbled in a deep voice, scrutinizing Kuai with his glowing blue eyes.

“Kuai Liang,” the cryomancer responded, “but Outworlders may know me better by my alias, ‘Sub-Zero.’”

Kotal’s eyes widened in understanding as Reptile hissed slightly. The emperor raised his arm to silence the Saurian. The Kytinn was peering with curiosity at Kuai, trading her hostility for interest. The emperor’s queen did not react to the information, much like Ermac, while Erron turned around to look at his companions.

“You know him?” the cowboy asked, gesturing at Kuai with his hand.

“You are the warrior who defeated Shao Kahn in the Mortal Kombat tournament?” the queen asked, leaning forward in her throne with attentiveness.

Wordlessly, Kuai lifted up his unbroken arm, holding his palm flat in the air. A blue glow appeared from his hand as he created a sphere of ice, holding it in his hand for the others to see. Ermac turned to the emperor, bowing respectfully. “He is the warrior that participated in the tournament years ago,” the construct confirmed. “I, myself, remember this man. I was there the day that he ripped Shao Kahn’s head from his shoulders.”

Kuai winced. “Well, you didn’t have to go into the small details…”

“Then how is it that you came to know this man, Erron?” Kotal asked his bodyguard, who shifted from his position of leaning against the wall. He was looking at Kuai curiously, his head tilted like a puppy who didn’t understand what their owner was saying. 

“I met him when I was a merc for the Black Dragon. He was also a mercenary at the time - a person who went by the name ‘Renegade.’ He only killed the worst of the bunch - all the criminals that the police force was too afraid to touch,” Erron paused, smirking slightly. “It looks like you’ve been busy without me, sugar.”

Kuai flipped him off.

“How did you arrive from Earthrealm to Outworld?” the Kytinn spoke in an oddly hollow voice. There seemed to be thousands of flies buzzing in her throat as she spoke, fixing her dark glassy eyes on Kuai.

The cryomancer began to explain his relationship with the Special Forces, his status as the Grandmaster of the Lin Kuei, and the events that had led him to this moment. When he had finished telling his story about Bi-Han not wanting him to live, Kuai slumped back in his chair - telling the story had taken a lot of energy from him, and not just physical energy.

Kotal looked down at Kuai with a sympathetic look in his eyes, pursing his lips in thought. “What do you intend to do, now?” the emperor questioned the cryomancer.

“I…” Kuai drifted off, staring blankly at his hands. They were clasped tightly to each other, wringing the skin tightly to make it turn white. “I don’t know,” Kuai whispered, more to himself than the others. “I can’t go back - Bi-Han would kill me, and one of us should be happy. Even if he didn’t, Hanzo _definitely_ would. I… I can’t go back home. I don’t _have_ a home, anymore.”

The revelation made Kuai’s heart constrict. This was the _fifth_ home he had to leave behind - first, it had been his life with his mother and Bi-Han. Those had been the golden days of his life - before he had been taken away. He had to run from his second “home” - the Lin Kuei, and ended up in the Shirai Ryu, which was destroyed. His fourth home had been with Satoshi in New York, but the events of the tournament and Scorpion’s interference had brought an end to _that_ life. Kuai had found himself friends and people who cared about him. He even had Tomas resurrected and visited Cyrax in Earthrealm monthly - now, he had to leave it behind.

Ermac bowed his head, likely picking up on Kuai’s thoughts as Kenshi was able to. The construct turned to Kotal, who was rubbing his chin in thought. “Perhaps he could be permitted to stay in Outworld,” Ermac spoke, bringing the attention of the Outworlders to him. “He has cut off all ties to the Earthrealmers and can not communicate with them to tell palace secrets. He could help serve you in protection service, Kotal Kahn.”

“The risk is too great,” the Kytinn buzzed angrily, stepping forward. “We can not risk unnecessary exposure to Earthrealm!”

“Silence, D’Vorah,” the queen raised her arm in command as D’Vorah scowled, retreating in sullen silence. “It would not be a bad thing to have another Earthrealmer amongst our ranks - it would only solidify the peace between our realms.”

Reptile slunk forward, bowing before Kotal respectfully as he spoke. “Empress Jade is wise, as always,” he hissed, “I myself have witnessed this warrior’s abilities in the tournament - he is an honorable fighter.”

Now, Kotal turned to Kuai, who was breathing shallowly through the pain as the pain medication started to ebb in effect. “If you are not permitted to return to Earthrealm, then you may stay in Outworld,” Kotal decided, “You may stay in the palace, so long as you work for me.”

“... Will I be sent on assassination missions?” Kuai asked, a wary look on his face. He didn’t want to do anything that resembled his life in the Lin Kuei.

“There shouldn’t be,” Jade refuted. “Right now, we are facing rebellion from Mileena and the Tarkatans as she attempts to regain the throne. You would be responsible for protecting me and my husband from attempted assassinations.”

Kuai nodded slowly. He had no money or resources to start a new life in Outworld - whether he liked it or not, he needed Kotal’s help. 

“Help him to the Soul Chamber,” Kotal ordered Ermac, who nodded in response. “See to it that his wounds are completely healed. Then, Reptile and Ermac will accompany you to the marketplace to buy clothes and other items that you require.”

* * *

Kuai was glad to be walking back on his two feet again, without needing to be supported by another person. He hated relying on people and forcing them to take care of him - he hated to feel like a burden. Besides, having the freedom to walk by himself was exhilarating, especially after his near-death experience.

“Goddamn it,” the cryomancer grumbled as a revelation hit him. “I left my glasses at Earthrealm - I need to buy a new pair, along with more contact lenses. I’m wearing my last pair right now...”

“I’ll mark it down for the orders sent to Earthrealm,” Erron responded as he walked next to Kuai. Reptile lagged behind the two of them, nodding in greeting to the Outworlders who greeted the Saurian in a friendly manner. “Let’s just focus on getting you some new clothes. We can also look for armor, as well.”

“I won’t need the armor,” Kuai responded immediately, recalling how Johnny was able to fight without needing it. Kuai wanted to change once more with the start of his new life - abandoning the Lin Kuei armor that he used to wear in favor of something more comfortable. “Trust me.”

“Whatever you say,” Erron shrugged, kicking up sand with his boots. “We’ll get you some proper shoes, then.”

“I really liked this jacket,” Kuai admitted, moving his arm to rub his thumb along the cuff of his sleeve. The Dragon Medallion, thankfully, was stored away in the inside pocket of his black leather jacket, which was now tattered and shredded. It also held a lot of memories, but there was no repairing the article of clothing in the state it was in.

“So, we’ll look around for jackets like that,” Erron added, nodding in thought as he seemed to take a much more serious attitude that surprised Kuai slightly. “I know a few shops that sell those things. Some shirts as well - what about pants?”

“Jeans,” Kuai responded immediately, picturing the outfit in his mind. “Black, this time.”

“Black?” Erron repeated, his eyebrows quirking in amusement and surprise. “Really? In this weather?”

“I’m a cryomancer,” Kuai replied, huffing in amusement. “The heat doesn’t affect me the same way that it does for you.”

To demonstrate his point, Kuai pulled on the Dragon Medallion to amplify the cooling aura that surrounded Kuai’s body, keeping him cool. Erron sighed immediately as the cold air hit his body, turning to look at Kuai with a look of understanding and respect. “That’s a handy trick - it seems to me that you’ll fit right in.”

“That’s another thing that I’m worried about,” Kuai confessed, looking anxiously at the people behind the vendors in the market. “How many people were supportive of Shao Kahn’s rule? When they find out that I’m the one who killed him…”

“Shao Kahn is despised by the people in the city,” Reptile interjected from behind Kuai. “The people who support Shao Kahn live in the outskirts, along with the rebels led by Mileena. You don’t have to hide your powers if you’re afraid that they’ll give you away.”

Kuai nodded slowly, turning around to give Reptile a grateful, surprised look. “Thank you.”

“Shao Kahn was a greedy and despicable person,” Reptile spat. “He promised me that he would bring my race back to the land of the living, but he was the one who wiped out the Saurian race! It is a good thing that he is dead - for the good of Outworld.”

“Kotal _does_ seem to be more honorable than Shao ever was,” Kuai noted as they came to a stop in front of a shop.

“I had my doubts about you, Earthrealmer,” Reptile admitted, “However, seeing as you killed Shao Kahn, I think that I will be able to tolerate your presence.”

“Um, thanks?” Kuai responded, looking to Erron in confusion. However, the response seemed to placate Reptile, who nodded at the cowboy before departing.

“He’s not too wild about Earthrealm,” Erron commented as he held the door open for Kuai to enter. “He had his ass handed to him in the tournament by our people, and he’s still salty about the whole thing.”

Kuai took a moment to marvel at Erron’s change in attitude. Now that it was established that Kuai would be working with Erron, the cowboy seemed to be treating him as an equal - without the frequent flirting. While Kuai didn’t think that the quips would come to a complete stop, he welcomed this change.

“He fought well,” Kuai recalled Reptile’s fights in the tournament. “Perhaps it’s better that he lost, anyway. If he hadn’t, I wouldn’t have been able to reach Shao Kahn and kill him.”

Erron nodded in response, gesturing to the single area as he leaned against the wall. “Go ahead and have a look around. Holler if you need anything.”

With the extended invitation, Kuai walked slowly through the selection of clothing, feeling the material of the various types of leather as he strolled around. Every now and then, whenever he saw and felt something that he liked, the cryomancer would pick up the article of clothing and drape it over his left arm before he continued to survey the rest of the selection of clothing.

When he had walked the length of the store, Kuai had selected four different leather jackets, ten plain white cotton t-shirts, and six pairs of jeans. All of the clothing was black and dark for the most part, except for the cotton white shirts. The exception was found in the one pair of jackets and jeans, which were a dark, charcoal grey. Everything else was completely black.

Erron’s eyebrow quirked again when he saw what Kuai had selected, walking over to pay for the items. “Going for a dark, edgy look?”

“Something like that,” Kuai responded drolly, smirking at Erron, “A near-death experience can do that to you.”

The cowboy barked briefly with laughter as Kuai grinned in response, turning away to look at the shelves. His eyes landed on an assortment of colorful bandanas that were neatly folded on the wood planks. Kuai found himself walking over to them, picking up a dark blood red one that caught his eye.

The cryomancer ran his fingers through the cloth, admiring the feel of the material as he noted that it felt like silk. However, the cloth was by no means transparent. Erron saw Kuai examining the bandana, nodding over to him. “Bring it here,” the cowboy called out. “Your dreary outfit could use a bit of color, don’t ya think?”

“... You’re not wrong,” Kuai decided, grabbing two more of the same plain blood red bandanas as backups to make it a total of three. He threw them toward Erron, who caught them in the air, smirking at Kuai.

“Let’s get you suited up, partner,” the cowboy said after paying for the clothing, gesturing over to the changing rooms.

* * *

Kuai walked alongside Erron through the crowded marketplace, dressed in the new clothes that he had just purchased.

The black leather jacket rested perfectly on the cryomancer’s shoulders over the white undershirt that Kuai was wearing. He was also wearing black jeans with ripped holes over the knees for the aesthetic look. They had also purchased boots for Kuai as well, which were also black in color. Unlike Erron’s flaunty cowboy boots, Kuai had chosen practical combat boots, which would be useful for trudging through the sand without getting the grains into his shoes.

Besides, he knew that the heavier soles would be useful in landing brutal kicks. 

One of the plain blood red bandanas that Kuai had gotten was wrapped around his face, tucked below his ears to keep the sand out of his mouth. The cloth concealed his face from the bridge of his nose down, concealing his mouth and chin with a triangular flap that extended to the top of his white shirt. It stood out from the black and white, but the dark red screamed danger, which was exactly what Kuai wanted. 

Without a headband or a hood to keep his hair back, the front strands of hair fell into the cryomancer’s eyes, which moved constantly with the wind. It didn’t bother Kuai much, who had spent days training in severe cold - the hair barely affected him at all.

“You look really mysterious and dangerous with that bandana,” Erron complimented as they walked back to the palace as the sun started to set. “Reminds me of our merc days, you know?”

“Things were a lot simpler back then,” Kuai sighed wistfully, huffing in amusement as he thought back to those days. “There was a lot less of this soap drama shit.”

Erron snorted in amusement as they left the market area, passing by some guards that were stationed outside of the doors of the palace. “Yeah, well; you do have to admit that life’s much more interesting like this. It makes it more fun, you know? You couldn’t find excitement like this back then.”

Kuai didn’t respond as he thought back to his days in the Shirai Ryu, remembering all of the antics and adventures that he got into. He remembered the garden that he helped to tend with Hideo and cooking in the kitchens with Aiya and Harumi. He remembered running freely through the wide expanses of forest that made up the Shirai Ryu territory, and remembered how those things culminated into all of the excitement that he ever needed. 

“No,” he responded quietly to Erron’s comment from before, “Life was better back then.”

Erron took a moment to stand still as he studied Kuai’s lowered head and somber stature. With a jerk of his head, the cowboy gestured to another corridor, prompting Kuai to follow after him as Erron led him through an unfamiliar section of the palace.

They came to a set of doors that Erron pushed open, letting Kuai enter first. The cryomancer stepped inside with a confused look on his face, eyes widening slowly as he took in the sight.

Erron had brought him to the armory, where weapons upon weapons were stacked above each other on the walls. Kuai found himself walking to the assortment of knives on a table, picking up a small one as he tested the weight.

“I remember all those little knives that you had back in New York,” Erron commented, leaning against the wall once more as nodded toward a closet. “You should find some belts in there to hang your toys on.”

Kuai walked over to the identified closet, drawing the doors open as he lifted up a light grey belt with hooks for weapons to be stored. The cryomancer looped the belt in the hooks of his jeans, securing it tightly as he grabbed the knives.

Two larger hunting knives were sheathed in an “X” at the very back of the belt. The many other spaces on the belt remained empty, for now. Kuai picked up medium-sized daggers, driving the blades down to the sides of his boots as the small handles stuck out of the edges of the leather, allowing for easy access.

Kuai pulled back the leather jacket to reveal the inside. The Dragon Medallion was stored safely in a zipper pocket on the inside of his jacket, but that was not the only reason why Kuai had chosen to buy these jackets. There were multiple nooks and crannies for throwing knives to be stored safely. Outworlders were obviously paranoid.

_Just like Kuai._

The cryomancer took his time in selecting the throwing knives that felt balanced to him, settling them inside the flaps of his jacket securely. Once he was done with his task, Kuai scanned the rest of the room, trying to find something else that he could utilize.

While most of the weapons were foreign to the cryomancer, having originated in Outworld, Kuai’s eyes landed on a glass case with guns displayed. Unlike Erron’s revolvers, which had too much recoil for Kuai’s taste, these weapons were more modern in appearance, looking a lot like the guns in the Special Forces.

“Kotal ordered those from Earthrealm,” Erron explained. “He wanted to give them to me as a gift, but I’m perfectly fine with my toys, here. They’ve kept me alive all these years. You can have them - if you want.”

Kuai hesitated, eventually reaching to pull up a pistol that belonged to a set of two. He examined the model - Glock 22 holding fifteen rounds per magazine. Kuai had experience with firearms in the past, recalling his mercenary days. “Ammo isn’t an issue,” Erron called out to Kuai, who was debating the merits of using the weapon. “You’ve got a lot of space on your belt - that can easily be filled up with magazines.”

“Yes, it could,” Kuai admitted, pursing his lips as he finally picked up the twin pistol, securing the dual firearms to the sides of his hips, ensuring that the holsters were strapped on properly. 

Erron directed Kuai to the ammo crate where the cryomancer began to fill up the empty spaces on his belt with the appropriate magazine clips. With everything secured, Kuai turned to Erron as he pulled down the blood-red bandana, giving the cowboy a grateful smile.

“Thanks,” the cryomancer spoke as he walked up to Erron waiting by the doors. 

“No problem, sugar,” the cowboy responded. To Kuai, the flirtatiousness behind the term of endearment had lessened - it sounded more like a fond nickname than an attempt to flirt. “Come on, dinner should be served, soon.”

* * *

Kuai shifted awkwardly in the seat at the large rectangular wooden table, trying to avoid the looks he was getting.

The cryomancer was sitting in a large empty room, save for the single dining table in the center where he was sitting right now. The red cloth that had been covering his face was lowered, hanging loosely around his neck. Kotal and his wife, Jade, were sitting at the head of the table next to each other while the bodyguards and advisors sat on the sides. Kuai was sitting next to Erron, with whom he was most familiar.

“So,” Jade spoke slowly in a gently motherly tone, looking at Kuai as she cut through her steak on the decorative plates, “You were a Lin Kuei warrior?”

“Once,” Kuai nodded in response. “It’s… kind of complicated, and a hell of a story.”

“We have time, now,” Kotal pointed out, “Between the stories that we have shared amongst ourselves, we could use something new, for once.”

Kuai took a deep breath as he set down his utensils, thinking back to his childhood. “I spent my early childhood years in the old Lin Kuei,” he started out, “The Grandmaster at the time was a cruel and unjust person. I was one amongst the many young children who were kidnapped from their families and brought to the clan to be raised as warriors. My older brother and I were taken from our mother - I don’t remember much about her; I just have the pictures.”

“So you were raised as child soldiers?” Ermac questioned curiously, tilting his head. “You had no free will?”

“Well, free will _was_ taboo in the clan,” Kuai explained, “but I found a way to stay… humane. I had a friend in the clan.”

Kuai briefly described Tomas, explaining how the two of them had stuck together through the years to rebel against the Lin Kuei’s teachings. He described the gradual shift in Bi-Han’s behavior - transitioning from a caring, older brother to a cold-hearted killer. His dinner started to go cold as he talked about the Cyber Initiative and Tomas’s conversion into a machine.

“I knew that I had to escape,” Kuai was saying, “so that night, I ran away from the temple. I didn’t have anywhere else to go, but any place was better than the Lin Kuei at the time. I ran for a full day and found myself in new territory -”

“That sounds like a good stopping point!” Jade exclaimed, who had been engrossed in the story that the cryomancer had spun. “Let’s keep the suspense building up - there’s been a shortage in new stories, and I want to preserve this one for as long as possible.”

“Sure,” Kuai responded, relieved that he could stop talking. His throat was parched, and he reached out for the glass of water. Seeing that the ice had melted in the heat, Kuai used his powers to slightly chill the glass before he took a drink.

“There is a possibility that your Earthrealmer friends may come to Outworld to visit the palace,” Kotal spoke for the first time at the table, peering at Kuai with concern. “While I do not believe that they will recognize you from appearance, they may recognize your voice and your old name.”

“Let’s spin a story of our own,” Reptile suggested. “We can tell the truth - we found him severely injured on the beaches of Outworld. However, the injuries he sustained robbed him of his voice. He can communicate with hand gestures while in the presence of the Earthrealmers.”

“It is a good idea,” D’Vorah admitted grudgingly, holding a large grub in her hands as she stroked its back. 

“Then, that issue is taken care of,” Jade decided, turning to look at Kuai once more. “You will need to come up with a new alias for us to refer to you by.”

Kuai didn’t need to think long about his decision; “‘Ghost’ is fine,” he said briefly. “It’s the only thing that I am, at this point.”

Kotal nodded briefly in response, acknowledging the new name as they returned to their plates. Jade was the only one not eating, talking to Kuai about how she and Kotal had wrestled the throne from Mileena’s hands.

It was a fascinating tale, Kuai admitted. Jade had served as Mileena’s bodyguard under Shao Kahn’s order. The Edenian had despised her job - the only thing that made it better was seeing Kotal every day; he had been Shao Kahn’s war advisor at the time. When Kotal went missing, Jade searched for the Osh-Tekk and found him in the Flesh Pits. She freed him, and the two of them fled the scene before the tournament had started. They remained in hiding with the Osh-Tekk civilization, biding their time.

Years later, Reptile found the couple and revealed that Shao Kahn was dead. When he explained that Mileena had taken the emperor’s place and now sat on the throne, they rallied the Osh-Tekk warriors and overthrew the half-Tarkatan, gaining Ermac and D’Vorah as new allies. 

Kuai looked around the table as the plates were being cleared, observing the sight that was in front of him. He saw Jade and Kotal smiling lovingly at each other while Reptile and Erron argued loudly over some trivial topic. He watched Ermac hold his head in his hands, shaking his head at Erron’s and Reptile’s childish fight, while D’Vorah smirked at the sight of her comrades fighting. It only just reminded the cryomancer of what he was missing out on; Johnny's arguments with Kenshi and Jax, the exasperated face of Sonya as she shook her head with disappointment, and Stryker's and Kabal's well-timed jokes.

_It made Kuai homesick._

* * *

Later that night, Kuai found himself sitting alone on his bed with his legs dangling over the edge.

There was a balcony with a sliding glass door, much like his room at the tournament on Shang Tsung’s island. His new clothes had been organized into the closet and bureau. Kuai had taken a long time to organize the clothes - he was anxious in his new setting, and every time he had finished putting away the clothes, he would undo his hard work, pulling the clothes out again to organize them again.

Now, it was nearing midnight. Kuai was staring out of the transparent glass doors, taking in the sight of the night sky.

The air was clearer in Outworld than it was in Earthrealm. The cryomancer could see the bright stars sparkling brightly - there were even planets and other distant galaxies that Kuai could see in the black canvas that was the sky. Kuai took the time to map out the constellations. It was something that Bi-Han had begun to teach him at an early age - their lessons went unfinished when Bi-Han became Sub-Zero. Over the years, Kuai had made it a point to finish the lessons.

The cryomancer quietly crept across the stone floor out of habit. Kuai usually did this to watch out for the creaking of floorboards, but he realized quickly that the sounds would not be an issue anymore. It only made the emptiness in his chest expand as he walked over to the sliding door, opening it.

The wind immediately picked up, sweeping the fallen hair in his eyes out of the way as Kuai stood on the balcony of his room, tilting his head up to the heavens. He rested his crossed forearms on the metal railing, resting his chin on his arms as he took in the broad expanse of the night sky.

Quietly, Kuai cried. He cried for Satoshi, who would never see him again. He cried for his friends - especially Tomas, Kenshi, and Johnny - who had taught him how to have fun along with the work. He cried for Hanzo and the missed opportunity of a heartfelt reunion between the two of them - forever enemies. He cried for Bi-Han, who would never see Kuai the way that the younger brother held him on a pedestal. 

Kuai cried for the life that he had left behind as the wind howled in his ears.


	18. Rebellion and War

**_The sounds of this small town_ **

**_Make my ears hurt (make my ears hurt)._ **

**_"Oh yeah, you caught me!"_ **

**_But I caught you one worse._ **

**_They say, "You want a war? You've got a war!"_ **

**_But who are you fighting for?_ **

**_The tide's out, the ship's run aground;_ **

**_We drown traitors in shallow water._ **

**\- Fall Out Boy, “Champagne for My Real Friends, Real Pain for My Sham Friends”**

* * *

_Six Months Later…_

The sounds of gunshots rang out in the clearing, echoing in volume as they began to die out in intensity.

Kuai lowered the pistol in his hand, removing the noise-canceling headphones as he eyed the paper target more closely. He huffed slightly in irritation, seeing that one of the thirty shots he had made was slightly off-center of the middle of the forehead.

“You can’t be mad about that!” Erron exclaimed, gesturing with a wild hand to the target at the far end of the shooting range. “That’s amazing accuracy that you have right there - it’s certainly nothing to be ashamed of!”

“One mistake can cost you your life,” Kuai sighed unhappily, walking up to tear down the paper from the clips that held it in the air. The cryomancer crumpled the paper into a ball, turning to the disposal bin as he threw the ball in an arc - it sailed through the air before it fell into the metal bin, rattling violently before it came to a stop.

“Ghost is right, Black,” Ermac chided. He was sitting in the seats to the side of the range, away from the gunfire as he read through a book peacefully. “A missed bullet could have drastic consequences in the thick of battle.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Erron groused, waving a dismissive hand in Ermac’s direction. “I’ll be fine - it’s not like anyone is going to attack Kotal in broad daylight.”

“Who is the informant that is meeting him?” Kuai asked, reloading the magazine clips as he holstered the guns, flipping the safety on as he faced Ermac and Erron.

“We are never told,” Ermac spoke, looking up from his book. “It is only our job to ensure that the emperor is protected in the streets.”

“If it were those Earthrealm buddies of yours,” Erron added, “he’d let you know. Jade certainly would - I think that she has some sort of motherly instinct for you.”

It was true - Kuai had to admit. The gentle, kind Edenian woman had overseen the cryomancer’s transition from Earthrealm to Outworld. She had become a good friend to Kuai - over the past few months, Kuai had been assigned to be Jade’s personal bodyguard, whilst the others watched over Kotal. The majority of the cryomancer’s days were spent walking with Jade in the marketplace and the gardens as they talked about their adventures.

Falling from the cliff had left Kuai with waking nightmares that would leave him breathless, struggling to breathe in the darkness of his room. He’d always go to the kitchen to grab a drink to calm himself. One night, Jade had emerged from her bedroom when Kuai had not been quiet enough, investigating the source of the disturbance. The cryomancer spent the night describing his fears and causes of anxiety while Jade listened. From that night onward, whenever Kuai woke from a nightmare and went to the kitchen, Jade would join him as they reminisced on bittersweet memories. 

She looked after Kuai, making sure that he ate enough. In truth, Kuai felt tired all the time. He just wanted to take a week off for himself, but the constant demanding work forced him to stay on his feet all day. He found himself losing his appetite often and struggled to get out of bed. While Ermac and Black sometimes would talk with him in matters that were not about work, Kuai felt isolated and alone in the Outworld palace. Jade was the only one who seemed to recognize Kuai’s weariness, and she made room for an hour every day to talk to him.

Because of that, she reminded Kuai of Aiya, sometimes…

“Jade will be riding with Kotal in the carriage,” Ermac spoke, bringing Kuai out of his thoughts. “You will ride with her. D’Vorah will also be there to protect Kotal Kahn, while he talks to the informant. Protect her, as you have done in the past.”

Kuai nodded in response. As the Empress of Outworld, there seemed to be a lot more assassination attempts directed at her rather than Kotal. Perhaps it was because their enemies saw that Kotal was protected by Ermac, Erron, Reptile, and D’Vorah. They saw Jade as an easier target since she was only being protected by Kuai. Because of this, the assassins believed that she would be easier to kill.

_They were also extremely **stupid.** _

Kotal often praised Kuai’s work for protecting his wife and keeping her safe. In all honesty, Kuai knew that Jade could take care of herself - they would spar together sometimes, giving the empress a chance to demonstrate why she was _not_ a force to be reckoned with. She wielded her bo staff with grace and elegance that displayed complete mastery. Their sparring sessions were one of the few things that Kuai enjoyed, which offered a real challenge. Afterward, the cryomancer felt that emptiness begin to seep into his body, and he would feel exhausted once again.

“Where will you be?” Kuai questioned his two comrades.

“We’ll be walkin’ in front of the carriage with the Osh-Tekk,” Erron responded in his southern drawl, whirling his pistols in a flash of showmanship. “Reptile’s stayin’ behind to watch over the palace.”

“While there is not a high chance that the emperor and empress will be attacked in broad daylight,” Ermac added, “it is vital to stay on high alert.”

 _Of course,_ Kuai thought to himself as he raised the blood-red bandana to cover his nose and mouth, _Outworld never is predictable…_

* * *

Kuai stood outside the empress’s room, crossing his arms as he waited for Jade to emerge from the room. 

“Are you nervous?” her voice called out from behind the oak door, making Kuai turn his head slightly to the side as he huffed in amusement.

“Not anymore,” Kuai admitted, clasping his hand tightly on his other wrist as he held his hands in front of his lap. “I used to be when I was younger. I guess you could say that I’ve been desensitized to the fight…”

“... I’m sorry,” Jade responded from the room. “You didn’t have a choice - you were born into this life and couldn’t lead a normal life, the way you wanted to.”

“Not a lot of us had that choice,” Kuai responded quietly, thinking back to his friends in Earthrealm who had been dragged into fighting in the Mortal Kombat tournament. “We just push through with what we’ve got - life deals us the cards, and we’re meant to play with them to the best of our ability.”

“That’s very poetic,” Jade remarked as the door swung open. She was dressed in a flowing emerald green gown that touched the ground, covering her heels. She looked impeccable in her makeup and hair, smiling softly at Kuai. “Ready?”

“Yes,” Kuai replied shortly, letting the empress walk a few steps in front of him as he followed in her footsteps. Jade paused in her steps, looking back to Kuai with a wry smile, mischief sparkling in her eyes. 

“Walk _with_ me, Kuai,” she said, waiting as Kuai followed her order willingly. The two friends walked down the hallways of the palace, talking about their day and what was worth sharing. They eventually came to the front doors - Kuai held the door open for the empress, who smiled gratefully at Kuai as she lifted up her gown slightly, walking down the stone steps. 

Reptile was at the door, watching his empress climb into the large carriage with the horses tied to the front. Kotal was already waiting inside, along with the informant that was left unnamed to Kuai.

“Be careful,” Reptile warned Kuai as the cryomancer stepped outside. "I do not like this..." Kuai turned to nod once at Reptile - sharing his sentiment - as he lifted the red cloth to cover his face again, turning around to catch up to Jade as the doors closed with a resounding boom.

The cryomancer stepped up into the carriage, bending his neck to enter as he took a seat next to Jade, who was now sitting between Kotal and Kuai now. D’Vorah sat on the opposite seat, next to the informant…

Kuai jerked back suddenly, eyes widening in recognition as he grew tense. “Kano,” the cryomancer growled, seeing the cybernetic red eye. 

“... Have we met, before?” the Aussie asked curiously, tilting his head.

“You know him, Ghost?” Kotal asked, looking behind Jade to her bodyguard. Kuai clenched his hands into fists, nodding in response.

“He fought in the tournament on behalf of Shao Kahn,” Kuai spoke slowly, glaring at the crook seated in front of him. “He’s a liar, a thief, and a criminal who deals in the black market. The Special Forces have an interest in locking him behind bars for life.”

“... Sub-Zero, was it?” Kano cocked his head as a smirk settled on his face, recognizing Kuai. “I remember you in the tournament. You’re the poor son-of-a-bitch who killed the last emperor. Is there going to be a problem?”

“Please,” Jade cautioned Kuai as the temperature dropped significantly in the carriage, which was starting to move through the streets slowly. “He has valuable information that could finally quell the ongoing war - try to be civil.”

Kuai took a deep breath as he settled back in his seat, nodding once to the empress as he crossed his arms and legs, keeping a close eye on the Black Dragon leader. As the carriage pulled into the marketplace with the Osh-Tekk surrounding their emperor protectively, Kotal and Kano started to talk business.

Jade placed a gentle hand on Kuai’s arm, trying to ease his worries. If anything, the touch only made Kuai more anxious - he wanted to get Kano far away from Jade and Kotal as possible, but he respected their wishes and kept quiet.

Suddenly, the carriage came to an abrupt stop with a shout of clamor coming from the front of the road. Kotal peered out the window to see what had caused the halt as Kuai mimicked the emperor’s actions. The cryomancer saw that there was a blockage on the road, preventing the carriage from moving forward. Erron passed by Kuai’s window, taking a moment to look up to the cryomancer.

“We’ll take care of it,” the cowboy reassured Kuai as Ermac started to use his telekinesis to lift the crates out of the way. “You just stay there.”

“This One will oversee the progress,” D’Vorah announced, bowing before Kotal and Jade as she exited the carriage, shouting orders to the people.

Kuai shifted anxiously in his seat, looking around the carriage. As an assassin, he hated it when things didn’t go according to plan. He also absolutely _despised_ being out in the open - it left him feeling vulnerable and susceptible to attack.

“You’re making it _really_ cold,” Jade murmured under her breath so that Kuai could only hear her. “Relax; I’m sure that everything is fine.”

Kuai lifted his hand to his inside pocket, feeling the Dragon Medallion resting against his chest in a comforting presence. To ease his worries, the cryomancer looked out the window and toward the rooftops, trying to see if there was someone that was watching over the scene.

His eyes squinted when he saw a small group of people crouched over the edge of a roof nearby the road that they were currently on. They were looking directly at the carriage, and with a chill that ran down his spine, Kuai realized that Mileena was there, based on her pink colors.

“It’s a trap!” Kuai barked loudly, letting those inside and outside the carriage know. “Mileena and her forces are on the roof!”

“Damn,” Kano grumbled under his breath as he drew one of his large knives from its sheath on his back, jumping in the air to strike Kotal. 

The emperor reacted immediately, raising his arm to block the downward strike as Kuai used his cryomancy to freeze the thug in place. Kotal turned to Kuai, nodding thankfully as Jade pressed her back flat against the seat. “Get Jade to safety,” Kotal commanded Kuai, who nodded quickly in response.

The cryomancer gripped onto Jade’s hand as he pushed the door open, jumping down to the sand. He lifted up his hand to let Jade take it as she carefully stepped down, trying to not trip over her gown. Kuai heard a clamor from the sides of the streets - whirling around, his eyes widened as thundering hoards of Tarkatan warriors charged the carriage.

The Osh-Tekk warriors were quick to run to the defense of their emperor as both sides became locked in a gruesome conflict. Kuai held onto Jade’s hand tightly as he pulled her along with him, dodging and pushing aside the Tarkatans as he led her back to the palace.

She stumbled in her steps, looking up at Kuai anxiously. “Help me trim off the end of this dress,” she spoke, throwing her heels off of her feet to run faster.

Kuai pulled out one of his metal knives in his arsenal, easily cutting through the soft material until the dress fell to Jade’s knees - a more suitable height for running. The cryomancer hurled an iceball at a Tarkatan who got too close, making Jade yelp in surprise. 

While Jade was a very competent warrior, she was restrained in her dress and therefore could not move as fluidly as she normally would. Furthermore, she did not have access to her bo staff, which made her more vulnerable.

Kuai reached out to grasp the empress’s hand again before a bolt of lightning struck the sand between the two of them, throwing them away from each other. Kuai felt his back hit the ground, making the air fly out of his lungs.

The cryomancer was quick to get back on his feet, sweeping the sand grains off of his black leather jacket. Because the clothes did not offer the same protection as his armor had, Kuai had brought the leather jackets to a specialist who set metal plates into the material - it was even more durable than his previous jacket. The only downside was that his jeans were not protected, but Kuai was fine without the protection.

Now, Kuai was staring down the two Edenian traitors - Rain and Tanya. The two of them eyed Jade hungrily, making Kuai snarl behind his red bandana. He summoned two swords made of ice, holding one in each hand as he placed himself in front of his friend protectively. 

“Crawl back to your camps,” Kuai snapped, lowering his head as his bangs fell into his eyes, “You will find no victory today.”

“That is not for you to decide,” the proud son of Argus arrogantly proclaimed, holding his hands out as water started to accumulate around his ankles. “We will reclaim our homeland and take back what is _rightfully_ ours.”

Without a word, Kuai hurled an iceball at Rain while the man was still talking, freezing him in place. Kuai thickened the ice to ensure that the man would stay still, while Tanya charged him.

Kuai dodged the kickflips and acrobatic maneuvers that the Edenian woman was conducting, having some practice from his sparring sessions with Jade. Kuai decided to play the same game, catching her with his foot in a backward flip that connected with the underside of her jaw.

She fell to the ground with a yell of pain, rubbing her jaw as she glared up at Kuai through her eyes darkened with the black makeup. Kuai did not relent in his assault, pulling the throwing knives from his jacket as he threw them one-by-one at the Edenian woman.

Tanya easily dodged the first three that Kuai had sent flying and sent fireballs of her own back in retaliation. The cryomancer knew that she would be able to dodge them easily. Kuai had sent them out to predict where Tanya would jump to in dodging the knives; he threw one at her to bait her out before throwing a second one to the left.

She cried out in pain as the knife landed into her upper thigh, falling onto her uninjured leg as she clutched her leg around the injury.

Kuai wasted no time - he leaped at the fallen woman with his fist drawn back, encasing it in ice as he had done in the tournament. With a solid punch to the side of her head, the woman collapsed to the ground, slumping over as if the bones had been removed from her body.

Suddenly, Kuai could hear the familiar sound of ice shattering. Whirling around, he saw Rain standing freely. In the blink of an eye, the half-god teleported in a geyser of water, reappearing behind Jade. He held a knife to her throat, making Kuai freeze.

“Walk away,” the male Edenian snapped, “or I slit her throat.”

Jade panted quietly, looking at Kuai with wide eyes. The cryomancer’s eyes narrowed behind the strands of dark hair that fell into his eyes, looking at Rain for weaknesses. “Walk away right now!” Rain snapped, digging the metal edge of the blade deeper into Jade’s neck. 

Kuai’s right hand moved in a blur - his hand flew to the gun in its holster, drawing it as he aimed it at Rain’s hand that was holding the knife. 

A gunshot rang out in the clearing.

Rain howled in agony as the bullet tore through the flesh of his hand - he dropped the knife in reaction to the pain and loosened his grip on Jade, who headbutted the son of Argus before kneeing him in the crotch, running back to Kuai.

The male Edenian disappeared in another teleport, taking Tanya with him as they both left the marketplace. Kuai turned to Jade, ensuring that she was okay as the Tarkatans began to fall with the Osh-Tekk warriors pushing them back.

Kuai heard Mileena cry out in pain and anger - he and Jade turned around to see as Kotal stood over the downed half-Tarkatan, looking down at her grimly. While Kotal had sustained minimal injury, Mileena was bruised and beaten terribly from her fight with the Osh-Tekk. “There _will_ be an execution today,” the emperor rumbled.

Mileena was boxed in by the Osh-Tekk warriors and Kotal’s bodyguards, growing in anger and frustration. “Today, your reign of terror comes to an end,” Kotal vowed as he summoned his powers lent to him by the sun.

Suddenly, Mileena pulled something from her belt - Kuai realized with a jolt of surprise that it was the amulet that Quan Chi had used to try and poison the Jinsei. Before he could think about how Mileena had gotten her hands on it, the half-Tarkatan pointed it at Kotal as an orange light struck him.

Kotal fell to his knees, shouting out in pain and agony as Mileena held the orange beam on the emperor. Before long, however, she gave her own yell of pain as she dropped the amulet. Kuai realized with horror that the arm that had held the amulet was burnt and charred horribly.

As she laid on the ground, Rain reappeared by her side, disappearing once more with the amulet gone as well. Kuai and Jade rushed to Kotal’s side as the empress helped her husband to stand up.

“What did you see?” D’Vorah asked in a gentle voice that Kuai rarely heard from the Kytinn.

“A mere cub,” Kotal rumbled, looking to the spot that Mileena had been, “grown to be a jaguar.”

Kuai also looked to the spot that Mileena had stood in, his lips thinning anxiously as he recalled the amulet and its destructive capabilities.

Slowly, they all returned back to the palace, a dark cloud of apprehension hanging over their heads.

* * *

Kuai sighed, dragging a hand to push back his hair as he sat on his bed and grabbed the novel that he was currently reading.

When they had returned to the palace and reunited with Reptile, Kotal had explained to the Saurian what had happened on the roads. Reptile had hissed with obvious displeasure as Kuai explained that he knew what Mileena had been wielding.

Kotal had immediately pressed for more information, which Kuai gave freely. He discussed how Quan Chi, the Netherrealm sorcerer, had tried to use the amulet to corrupt the Jinsei and darken the realms. He emphasized the danger of the weapon, which concerned Jade. She and Kotal had left the warriors to talk in private, leaving Kuai free to do whatever he wanted to do.

The cryomancer had taken a long, soothing shower to loosen the tenseness in his shoulders. Now, he pulled his new glasses further up the bridge of his nose while he flipped to the page where he had stopped off, having memorized the page number.

It was about an hour later when a knock resounded on the cryomancer’s door. Sighing reluctantly, Kuai placed the book back down on the nightstand before he walked over to open the door to answer it.

Erron stood behind the door, tipping his hat in greeting. “Howdy,” he greeted shortly, leaning against the doorframe. “Jade wants to talk to you really quick.”

Kuai exhaled slightly, nodding in response as Erron walked away to head off to dinner. The cryomancer shut the door behind him as he strolled off in the opposite direction and toward the queen’s bed chambers. Once he had reached the door, Kuai paused before knocking gently three times.

Jade opened the door slowly, smiling happily when she saw Kuai standing behind the door. “There you are,” she said teasingly, letting him enter the room. Kuai immediately went to his designated seat at the dresser while Jade sat on her bed, crossing her legs on the mattress. 

“Here,” she said, throwing a bright red apple at Kuai, who caught it with one hand. Kuai grinned, looking back to her as he used his cryomancy to slightly chill the fruit before taking a bite. “Thanks, Jade,” he spoke gratefully, being careful to not let the juice run down from his mouth.

“Well, _someone_ has to make sure that you eat, you workaholic,” the emerald empress responded playfully as she did with their friendship. Her joy was contagious, making Kuai smile. 

“I actually have something to tell you,” Jade said, bringing a serious tone to their conversation as she looked into Kuai’s eyes. The cryomancer slowly lowered the apple, frowning in apprehension at the anxious expression on her face.

“Do you want the good news first, or the bad news?” she asked, giving him the option.

“... Let’s start with the good news,” Kuai decided, shifting in his seat to get into a more comfortable position as he prepared himself for the news. “Then, we can let it crash and burn.”

Jade chuckled with light laughter for a brief moment as she started to explain what was on her mind. “Kotal and I talked about the amulet,” she started, making Kuai sit up a little straighter. “We decided that once we get ahold of the amulet, we will _not_ keep it and try to use it. Dark artifacts should never be used, even if the wielder has good intentions” she stated, making Kuai slump slightly with relief.

“You made the right decision,” Kuai replied, a weight having been lifted from his shoulders. “I’ve seen what that amulet can do - thank you for choosing to not wield it.”

The empress smiled at Kuai’s praise, nodding in response as she sighed heavily, pursing her lips. “The bad news is… we decided that we can not hold onto it. We’ll be handing it off to Earthrealm, but that means that they’ll be residing in the palace for some time while we track Mileena’s location. You’ll have to contend with them until we can get the amulet into their hands.”

Kuai stiffened as the implication of Jade’s words hit him full-force. Jade walked to Kuai’s side, placing her gentle hand on his arm in comfort. “It will be fine, Kuai,” she spoke in a soothing voice, trying to calm him as his breathing became more shallow. “I will see to it myself that your older brother and Hanzo Hasashi are kept far away from you. You will serve as my bodyguard and will be at my side at all times. When this is all over, Bi-Han and Hanzo will leave, and they won’t be wiser about your current situation.”

The cryomancer covered his face with his hands as he struggled to take steady breaths. He heard Jade sigh sympathetically from behind him, rubbing his back as his hands shook with violent tremors. “Bi-Han is going to be furious when he finds out,” Kuai laughed brokenly as his hands dropped to his lap. “And if the others find out that I've been alive this whole time... Gods, what am I going to do, Jade?”

“Just keep silent,” she encouraged Kuai. “You can get through this, Kuai. I believe in you. Remember - you sustained grievous injuries that muted your voice. Your family won’t be able to recognize you if they don’t hear your voice.”

“It’s been so long since I’ve seen them,” Kuai murmured, thinking longingly of Tomas, Johnny, Kenshi, and the rest of his friends. “I wonder if they’ll all come.”

“Kotal sent the invitation already,” Jade remarked, “All of the Special Forces will be attending, along with the General of the Shirai Ryu and the new Grandmaster of the Lin Kuei. They’ll be here tomorrow at noon.”

Kuai nodded in response, looking down at his clasped hands in his lap. Once again, they were wringing together tightly in that habit that he couldn’t let go of. Jade’s hands gripped onto his, softly unclenching them as she held them in her hands.

The two of them talked about better times, better memories, and better lives as the full moon climbed up the night sky, casting its ghostly glow over the palace walls.


	19. Seeing Ghosts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Referenced suicide attempt in this chapter!

**_One of these days, the ground will drop out from beneath your feet._ **

**_One of these days, your heart will stop and play its final beat._ **

**_One of these days, the clocks will stop and time won't mean a thing._ **

**_One of these days, their bombs will drop and silence everything._ **

**_But it's alright…_ **

**_Yeah, it's alright…_ **

**_I said it's alright…_ **

**_Easy for you to say!_ **

**_Your heart has never been broken;_ **

**_Your pride has never been stolen._ **

**_Not yet; not yet!_ **

**\- Foo Fighters, “These Days”**

* * *

Hanzo double-checked his bags to ensure that he had everything packed for the elongated stay in Outworld. Currently, the General was in his bedroom in the reformed Shirai Ryu territory. His clothes were folded neatly in organized piles, and his weapons were secured on his uniform in their usual places.

He had received a message from Sonya detailing the new mission. It required all-hands-on-deck, as it dealt with Quan Chi’s amulet. Thinking of the sorcerer and what he had done to the Shirai Ryu made Hanzo’s blood boil. It was Quan Chi who had killed his father, mother, and wife.

_Kuai Liang…_

The loss of the cryomancer was still fresh on Hanzo’s mind. He had busied himself in his work and doubled his efforts to defend Earthrealm, as Kuai had done with the Lin Kuei before he had died. Bi-Han moped around in the Special Forces base, helping occasionally with missions. The sudden death of their comrade had affected the Special Forces as well, with each person dealing with their grief in their own way. Hanzo also knew that Tomas, Kuai’s resurrected friend, had taken over the position of Grandmaster of the Lin Kuei. 

Kuai’s death had convinced Johnny and Sonya that life was a precious, short thing. The shock of the death had gotten the two back together, and they were tentatively dating once more. The Special Forces group had each other to help with the healing process, as they slowly began to recuperate from the upsetting news.

Perhaps, if Quan Chi had not lied to Hanzo about Kuai’s supposed death, then the Shirai Ryu could have picked up on the clues earlier. However, Hanzo knew that he had no one to blame but himself. He _should_ have picked up on the signs and recognized Kuai from the moment that he saw him in the tournament. Instead, Hanzo had let Quan Chi dangle him from puppet strings as the sorcerer directed Hanzo this way and that, like a well-trained puppy.

_As for Satoshi…_

The young man had not returned to his photo studio in New York since the day that Kuai had died. Satoshi had stayed with the Special Forces on the base, taking Kuai’s old room with the pictures on the walls and tables. In the past couple of months, Satoshi had eventually come out of his defensive shell and approached Hanzo as well as Bi-Han. With the time alone to think to himself, Satoshi had come to the realization that Kuai would not have wanted him to hold onto hate and anger - it made him no better than Scorpion.

While the comment had stung, Hanzo was relieved when Satoshi wanted to return to the reformed Shirai Ryu clan. For the past month, his son was living with Hanzo under the same roof. However, the tension was palpable. Satoshi could never bring himself to look at Hanzo in the eye, leaving Hanzo to tiptoe painfully around his son. Satoshi could not forgive his blood-father, and Hanzo could not forgive himself. 

Sighing heavily, Hanzo held the bags in his hands as he walked down the stairs of his house, pausing slightly when he saw Satoshi in the kitchen. The young man was eating a bowl of cereal while staring at his phone. As Hanzo slowly approached him from behind, he realized that Satoshi was reading through a text conversation that he and Kuai had together.

Hanzo’s chest tightened.

“Hey, Satoshi,” Hanzo murmured softly, making the young man sigh as he shut off his phone, placing it face down on the table. He stared down at his cereal, refusing to look up to Hanzo. “I’m leaving now to join the Special Forces for the mission at Outworld. I may be gone for a while, but I’ll text you to keep you updated, alright?”

“Sure,” Satoshi responded quietly, not moving at all to say goodbye to his father.

Swallowing the bitter feeling that was rising in his throat, Hanzo left the house through the front door, shutting the door behind him. The Shirai Ryu took in the sight of the reformed, peaceful village at the break of dawn for one last time.

_Kuai would have loved the Fire Gardens…_

Shaking the haunting thought from his mind, Hanzo disappeared from the courtyard in a whirlwind of fire, leaving no trace of himself behind.

As Hanzo’s feet landed on solid ground once more, he looked up to see the looming Special Forces base. The base was oddly quiet, with the soldiers sleeping as a few patrolled the base. It was night here in the United States, making it early morning in Outworld where they would be going soon. 

The kombatants had already been assembled in a single group, waiting for Hanzo to arrive. They were standing in front of the outdoor portal machine, the device activated as the blue circle glowed brilliantly. Hanzo made his way to join the others, staying a distance away from Johnny, who still resented Hanzo and Bi-Han for killing Kuai.

Once Sonya did the last headcount and found that everyone was present, she stood at the front and turned to face the group, calling out in a loud voice so that she could be clearly heard. “Alright! As you all are well aware by now, we’re heading into Outworld. When we pass through this portal, Kotal and the Outworlders are in charge. We are there to help them with the rebellion and repossess the amulet so that Liu Kang can keep it in a safe place. The kids are staying on the base to supervise the activities, and Nightwolf is trying to obtain a location for Quan Chi. I don’t care what animosity exists between you and the Outworlders,” she looked pointedly at Jax with his metal arms that had been caused by Ermac, “this is a professional mission. It gives us the chance to demonstrate that we want this peace just as badly as they do. Am I understood?”

She got a chorus of agreeing replies in response, nodding satisfyingly as she spun on her heel, holstering one of her duffel bags over her shoulder as she faced the portal. Hanzo saw her take a deep breath as she was the first to step through, the others trickling behind her one-by-one.

Hanzo, who stood at the back of the group, made his way to Bi-Han, who was also standing away from the others. The Shirai Ryu nodded to the shadow manipulator in greeting as he waited for his turn to step through the portal.

“How are you?” Hanzo asked worriedly.

Bi-Han took a deep breath. “It still hurts,” he admitted, lowering his head. “I have nightmares about that day - that look of fear on his face is burned into my memory.”

Hanzo slowly placed a tentative hand on the older man’s shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. “Someday, we’ll find a way to get through this,” Hanzo spoke, trying to believe in the empty words himself. 

Bi-Han didn’t say anything as the last of the Special Forces had disappeared through the portal. Tomas turned around, looking at Hanzo and Bi-Han with narrowed eyes as he had his arms crossed on his chest. The enenra turned around, sighing heavily as he stepped through the portal, his silver form disappearing through the blue light. Bi-Han and Hanzo followed after Tomas as the portal died.

* * *

That morning, an hour before the Earthrealmers were supposed to be arriving at the front doors of the palace, Kuai paced the length of the throne room anxiously, raising a hand every now and then to touch the blood-red cloth covering the lower half of his face.

“You’re nervousness is rubbin’ off on me,” Erron complained as Kuai passed by him once more, his hands wringing themselves tightly. Ermac’s face seemed torn between amusement and sympathy for the cryomancer, while Reptile and D’Vorah seemed dismissive of the cryomancer altogether.

“We will ensure that the Earthrealmers do not get too close to you,” Ermac promised Kuai, who slowly came to a stop, pushing the loose strands of hair out of his eyes, only for them to fall back into place again. Kuai huffed anxiously, looking at his feet as his hands reached for his pistol in its holster to reassure him. “We don’t even know how long they could be staying,” Kuai argued, his stress rising significantly. “They could be here for months if Mileena continues to change camps!”

Erron seemed to be ready to say something (Kuai couldn’t tell with the mask on his face) when Kotal and Jade stepped into the throne room, taking their seats on their respective thrones as the others got into position.

D’Vorah stood next to Kotal on the outside of his right throne whilst Ermac hovered next to Jade and slightly behind her throne on the left. Reptile and Erron stood still at the base of the stairs that led up to the throne, with the Saurian on the left and the cowboy on the right. Meanwhile, Kuai took his usual spot, sitting on the top step at the base of Jade’s throne to the side. His feet were placed on the step below the top one that he was sitting on while he hunched over, placing his bent elbows on his knees. 

Kuai had drawn a small throwing knife from the inside of his leather reinforced jacket, holding it in his hands while he fiddled with it to steel his nerves. There was a clamor outside from the guards as footsteps approached the double doors.

The doors swung open slowly as two Osh-Tekk warriors stepped inside, leading a large group of people behind them. Kuai stiffened, dancing the knife between his hands as the doors closed, blocking the blinding sunlight from outside so that Kuai could see them better.

His old friends seemed exhausted and tired as they walked up to the bottom of the steps to address the emperor. Kuai recognized their faces, lowering his head quickly when he caught sight of Bi-Han and Hanzo in the back. Every survival instinct in his body was screaming at him to react, but Kuai forced himself to calm down. 

The cryomancer received a couple of curious glances his way, but he ignored them as he continued turned to stare down at his hands with the delicate thin knife, twirling it skillfully in one hand. 

Sonya nodded at Kotal Kahn and Jade in greeting, setting the bags down at her feet. “Kotal Kahn - thank you for reaching out to me with the news about the amulet. We have experienced it in the past - it belonged to Quan Chi, who tried to destroy Earthrealm with it. He disappeared with the trinket years ago and hasn’t been seen since. I look forward to combining our forces to quell Mileena’s rebellion.”

“No; thank _you,”_ Kotal responded, nodding in turn to Sonya and the other Earthrealmers. “We are in dire straits now - as long as Mileena has the amulet, she poses a threat to my status on the throne. I am glad to have reconciled with Earthrealm.”

“You’ve picked up a few more people,” Sonya noted, nodding at Erron and Kuai, who were not present at the last treaty meeting years ago. “Do you mind introducing us, so that we know who we’re talking to?”

“Erron Black,” Kabal interrupted, pointing rudely at the cowboy with narrowed eyes as he recognized his old partner-in-crime. “He’s Black Dragon - their top mercenary and hitman.”

“... Is that you, Kabal?” Erron spoke, squinting as he studied the man with the familiar hook swords strapped to his back. “You look a lot different, with that Black Dragon tech on your body. What’s up with you - decided to go with a Freddy Krueger cosplay?”

Kuai cringed internally at the insensitive comment that Erron had made. Kabal snarled in antagonization, moving forward in an attempt to punch Erron’s face as Stryker held his buddy back.

“I apologize for Erron’s lack of manners,” Kotal spoke quickly, sending a heated glare in the cowboy’s direction. “He is known to be rather blunt - have no worry about him, General Blade. He has left the Black Dragon’s company for good and only works under me, now.”

Sonya nodded, keeping a suspicious eye on Erron as she turned to Kuai, who lifted his head to meet her eyes. “What about him?” she asked, gesturing with her chin to him.

“Ghost was found about a year ago on the beaches of Outworld,” Jade explained to the group, keeping the story vague and short. “We found him with severe injuries that required healing in the Soul Chamber. He was a lone warrior that was betrayed by his comrades - unfortunately, with the injuries, he can no longer speak. He is my personal bodyguard and has kept me safe from multiple assassination attempts. I trust him with my life.”

This seemed to placate Sonya, for now, as she picked up her bags, ready to be shown to their rooms. Kotal commanded Reptile and D’Vorah to lead the Earthrealmers around the palace as he stood up with his empress. Kuai got onto his feet fluidly as Jade stood up, sticking close to her heels as Erron and Ermac followed after Kotal, leaving the Earthrealmers.

As soon as they had left the throne room and gotten out of sight from his old friends, Kuai took a deep breath, feeling the anxiety and stress leave his body. Jade noticed his expression, staying behind as Kotal and Erron left the two of them.

“Are you okay?” Jade asked the cryomancer quietly, placing her hand on his upper arm as he shut his eyes softly, chuckling a little hysterically. “Yeah; I can’t believe that I got through that,” Kuai exhaled, dragging a hand down his face. “I feel exhausted, already.”

Jade looked at him with sympathetic eyes, nodding slowly. “Things will get easier with time,” she reassured the cryomancer gently. “I know that things are very stressful right now, but we’ll get through this together, alright?”

Kuai took another calming breath, nodding in response as he gave a small grateful smile. “Thank you, Jade.” 

The empress gave him a fond smile, ruffling his unkempt hair before stepping away. “Of course, you precious little snowflake. Come on - let’s go walk in the gardens for a moment to take your mind off of things.”

“I’m supposed to be training,” Kuai spoke reluctantly, eliciting a sigh of regret from Jade, who nodded in response. “Go ahead, then. I’ll see you later, alright?”

Kuai watched her walk away down the hallway, disappearing around the corner as he turned around, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans as he walked down the empty hallway, heading to the training room where he could practice. Kuai walked outside, strolling down an elevated bridge before going back inside into another part of the palace.

The cryomancer turned corners and walked down familiar hallways until he reached a set of bronze doors. Kuai pushed the doors open, walking over to the shooting gallery on the left. In the training room, there was an observing window that made up the whole right wall, nearby the empty space for sparring practice mats. 

Kuai took another deep breath to steady himself, unholstering the firearms at his hips as he flipped off the safety and cocked the weapons, aiming them down to the prepared target that was waiting for him.

The guns fired in rapid succession, the noise not bothering Kuai anymore as he unloaded the clips onto the paper target. When he counted down the fifteen bullets, he engaged the unclipping mechanism of the weapons, throwing them up in the air as he pulled fresh clips from his belt. As the guns fell back down, Kuai threw up the magazines with muscle memory as they slotted neatly into the falling firearms. 

As the guns fell back into Kuai’s hands, the cryomancer aimed them down to the target that he hadn’t taken his eyes off of, firing off the new clip until the guns were empty. Setting them down on the countertop in front of him, Kuai drew three throwing knives in his jacket as he threw them at the tattered target - they whistled through the air as they tore through the fragile paper, embedding into the stone wall behind the paper.

Kuai stopped now, reloading his pistols as he holstered them again on his belt, walking around the counter to walk down the shooting alley. He approached the torn paper target, closely examining the marks of the bullets. To his satisfaction, Kuai noted that all of the bullet holes were in the middle of the head and either in the forehead or between the eyes. After tearing down the paper, Kuai walked behind to retrieve his knives from the wall, which had similar, older marks of past sessions of knife throwing. He yanked one of the knives from the stone, examining it to ensure that the blade was not damaged.

Suddenly, a loud whistle was voiced over the intercom, making Kuai jump slightly on the inside. _“That was pretty impressive,”_ Johnny’s recognizable voice sounded on the microphone that was hooked to the speakers inside of the training room. The cryomancer turned slowly to look out the observing window, seeing the faces of his old friends on the other side of the glass.

Wordlessly, Kuai yanked the last knife from the wall, turning away as he sheathed the knives in his jacket coolly. He walked to the doors, stepping out of the training room nonchalantly. On the inside, however, alarm bells were ringing loudly as Kuai struggled to not bolt immediately from the room.

Unfortunately for the cryomancer, the tour group had wrapped around the corner and met him outside of the room, holding him in place for the time being. Reptile and D’Vorah trailed behind them - the Saurian had a panicked look on his face. 

“He doesn’t like interacting with strangers -!” Reptile warned.

“That was some fine handiwork in there,” Johnny complimented Kuai as he made his way up to him. With a note of surprise, Kuai realized that Johnny and Sonya were holding hands again. It only made him wonder what else he had missed out on, making his chest constrict painfully.

“So, you don’t speak?” Stryker asked curiously, tilting his head as he looked at Kuai. Still, Kuai was the shortest male kombatant, about the same height as Sonya. It still frustrated him, but that wasn’t his biggest concern at the moment.

 _Right now, he was more concerned about getting the_ **_fuck_ ** _out of there._

Kuai decided to play a more diplomatic, clipped approach. He nodded at Stryker’s question to respond silently, satisfying the Earthrealmers’ curiosity for now. Kenshi’s head tilted with curiosity, making Kuai panic. He had completely forgotten about the telepath and his abilities - could he read his mind right now? Did Kenshi know that it was him?

If Kenshi did, he didn’t say anything. In the awkward silence, Kuai decided to take his leave. He pushed past the group, taking extra care to not bump into anyone as he walked down the corridor.

“He’s not a friendly guy, is he?” Tomas remarked, his voice carrying down the hall and to Kuai, who ached to talk to his best friend freely.

“He’s the most capable warrior in this palace,” Reptile replied, ushering the group the other way. “He could kill you thirty different ways with his hands - so leave him alone.”

* * *

From the encounter that Kuai had with his old friends, he had reached several conclusions.

The first was that Johnny and Sonya had gotten back together again after Kuai’s death. He didn’t know if those two events were connected, but either way, he was thankful that they had set aside their differences and finally saw the love that they had for each other. 

The second thing that the cryomancer had noticed was that a lot of them seemed upset and depressed. It made Kuai guilty, knowing that his death had this impact on his friends, but he couldn’t let them know that he was alive. If they did, then Bi-Han would inevitably find out, and he’d try to kill Kuai again. Things were better off this way.

The third thing was that Tomas had filled Kuai’s empty shoes as the Lin Kuei Grandmaster. Kuai had reached this conclusion upon the realization that Tomas was the only Lin Kuei warrior in attendance - he also seemed to be glaring heavily at Hanzo and Bi-Han during the tour, which made Kuai anxious. He didn’t want his best friend to push them too far - he didn’t want Tomas to end up dead, for real.

The fourth and last thing that Kuai had taken from the encounter was an important behavioral observation. He noted that when he was cold and closed-off from them, they seemed to leave him alone. Kuai knew that he could use this to his advantage - if he could keep up that cold front attitude for the duration of the time that the Earthrealmers were here, then perhaps he could throw them off his scent.

One worry that Kuai had about his identity was Kenshi. He knew how capable the telepathic-telekinetic warrior was; Kuai fretted anxiously over the next few hours, wondering if Kenshi had peeked into his mind. He remembered how Kenshi had stated that his mind was difficult to read - hopefully, Kenshi hadn’t been able to penetrate Kuai’s mental defenses. 

Now, Kuai was sitting on the front steps of the palace, watching the sun sink below the horizon as the others ate dinner inside. Because he didn’t want to be seen with his bandana down, Kuai had grabbed an apple from the kitchens earlier and had eaten it an hour ago for his dinner.

Since Kuai had gotten to Outworld, he found that his appetite had decreased with every passing day. The act of having to eat seemed so… trivial and time-consuming, to him. Sleep was also forgotten as the fear of having another nightmare kept the cryomancer awake. He’d stay awake for weeks, exhausting himself until he slept for one night, the exhaustion keeping out the nightmares. As a result, the cryomancer had dark circles under his eyes. On the nights that he _did_ sleep, Kuai found himself struggling to rise from his bed, lacking the resolve to get up. A lot of the time, Kuai felt the urge to just fall to the ground and cry.

Jade had picked up on his unhealthy habits and was trying to get him to take up activities that she thought would cheer him up. However, all of the things that Kuai used to have fun doing just brought up bittersweet memories of his past lives. 

Jade had found him in an alarming position on a hot summer night; the two rarely brought up what Kuai had attempted to do that night, but Jade made a bigger effort to pull Kuai out of his workaholic schedule. After doing research, Jade had connected multiple things that Kuai was doing to a specific diagnosis: _“You’re depressed, Kuai,”_ she had said quietly, _“You bury yourself in your work and don’t sleep properly. You never eat unless I remind you to, and you have frequent mood swings - you’ll be happy and laughing at my poor jokes one second, and then you’ll be thinking about bad memories and become miserable.”_

 _“And I’m not even bringing up what happened that night…”_ Jade had drifted off, looking at Kuai’s blank face worryingly.

On that night that Jade had been referencing, Kuai had woken up from a nightmare. He had fallen asleep as the exhaustion overtook him - unfortunately, he had not been exhausted _enough_ to keep the nightmares out. The combination of pent-up stress, the daily grind of work, and the horrible nightmare had Kuai walking out of his bedroom.

The cryomancer hadn’t even noticed it - to him, he felt as though his soul or spirit had been forced out of his body, and he was watching himself from a third person’s perspective. Kuai had dragged himself to the roof escape, climbing onto the sloped roof of the palace. He slid down the domed roof, standing on the edge of the roof as he looked up to the sky.

Kuai hadn’t even realized what he was doing when he leaned forward, falling in zero-gravity.

Jade had been there to grab him by the back collar of his jacket, pulling him back to safety. She had been awoken by the footsteps and had followed after him - a good thing that she had. Kuai had not tried to throw her off as she lifted him back onto the sandstone roof. She had helped him back inside, setting him down into a chair in the kitchen as she handed him a cup of tea.

Snapping out of his thoughts to bring himself back to the present, Kuai looked up to the sky again to see that the sun had disappeared in its entirety, leaving the sky black with the stars. Getting back onto his feet, Kuai thought about what Jade had told him about being depressed.

He never protested - it was something that Kuai had always known the second that he had realized that he would never be able to return to the Special Forces and the Lin Kuei ever again. Having to give up the people that he cared about had ripped a hole in Kuai’s chest, leaving him feeling empty. While the companionship of the Outworlder fighters - along with Jade especially - had helped, it did nothing to ease the feeling of loneliness that Kuai felt. 

Kuai slowly walked through the quiet and darkened hallways that were illuminated by the torches hung on the walls. He only had his shadow for companionship as it walked beside him, making the hollow sensation in his chest grow in intensity as he dragged himself to his bedroom, trying to remain quiet to not disturb the sleeping kombatants in their rooms as he passed by their bedrooms.

As Kuai came to his door, he frowned in confusion upon seeing that it was open with yellow light expanding from the thin crack of the open door. He remembered that he had forgotten to lock the door that morning in his state of anxiety in a rare display of forgetfulness from the usually-kept cryomancer. Sighing, Kuai pushed the door open a little further to step inside, freezing when he saw people inside.

Kuai hadn’t even heard them talking, which was concerning, given how loud they were shouting. The cryomancer quickly identified Tomas, Bi-Han, and Hanzo in the room. The silver-haired enenra was snapping angrily at the older two men, who were protesting half-heartedly back. The cryomancer was too tired at that moment to care about what they were saying as their loud voices droned in his head.

Sighing, Kuai leaned against the doorframe, crossing his arms as he rested his head against the doorframe as well, watching the verbal fight with an unamused look on his face. When it became clear that they were not going to stop anytime soon, Kuai kicked the door full-force, letting it swing as it collided with the wall.

The three warriors froze as they turned to face Kuai, who was giving them a dirty look to keep up his facade of the closed-off assassin. Tomas turned a final time to level the other two men with a heated glare, pointing his finger threateningly at them. “This is _far_ from over,” the enenra promised, before he stormed out of the room, passing by Kuai.

Kuai turned back to the two other men, lifting his hand to point his thumb behind and over his shoulder in a silent command for them to get the hell out of his room.

Bi-Han narrowed his eyes at Kuai, not feeling amiable with him due to the fact that they were strangers. Kuai watched his older brother leave the room before he turned back to Hanzo, who held something in his hands.

Kuai realized with a jolt of surprise that it was his old headband that he would wear with his blue uniform. It was helpful in keeping the hair out of his eyes, which was what the strands were doing right now. Kuai frowned in confusion as he pondered over why Hanzo would have it as the Shirai Ryu started to leave.

He paused next to Kuai in the doorframe, looking down to meet his eyes. “I’m sorry for intruding,” the Shirai Ryu spoke. His voice sounded as hollow and tired as Kuai was feeling as Hanzo left, disappearing down the dark hallway.

Kuai was confused by the entire scene that he had witnessed as he shut the door, locking it securely. However, as the cryomancer tried to analyze what he had seen, the exhaustion overwhelmed his mind, making his head hurt. Groaning in relief, Kuai walked straight to his bed, falling onto the plush mattress without bothering to change into more comfortable clothing. He ripped the bandana from his face, tossing it to the floor as he shut his eyes.

* * *

_He_ **_couldn’t_ ** _go to sleep._

Kuai tossed and turned in the bedsheets, struggling to find a comfortable position where he would be able to drift off to sleep. Eventually, Kuai completely gave up. He sat upright on the edge of the bed, letting his legs dangle over the edge. He dragged his hands down his face, sighing quietly so that he wouldn’t be heard. 

With the possibility of slumber thrown out of the window, Kuai quietly opened the sliding door to the balcony adjoined to his room. Tying the red cloth around his face and stepping onto the metal railing, Kuai hoisted himself up to grab the ledge of the roof, climbing up the polished sandstone. Now that he was standing on the roof, Kuai breathed in the fresh air, letting the cold wind hit his face. 

Kuai suddenly took off, sprinting on the roof as he jumped over a ledge where the roof plummeted suddenly - he continued to run around his self-created parkour course on the roof, doing as many flips and twists as he could to wear himself out. He came to a stop on the center of the main building’s rooftop with the domed shape, panting slightly as he sat down on the stone.

The cryomancer tilted his head to the sky, trying to avoid looking over the edge before he got any… bad ideas. As Kuai recovered his breath and cooled down in the night air, he slowly felt exhaustion overtake him once more. Kuai counted the stars and planets, the exhilaration of running wearing out as that pressing emptiness pushed forward once again, seeping away at his temporary period of joy. 

Kuai’s head tilted to the side, picking up on an unusual sound that was approaching behind his seated position. _Footsteps._ The cryomancer whirled around, drawing his pistol as he aimed it at the newcomer, quickly flipping off the safety.

“Peace, friend,” Kenshi walked forward slowly with his arms raised in the air warily. Slowly, Kuai lowered the weapon, returning it to its holster as the safety switch was placed in the “on” position. The cryomancer kept a wary eye on the telepath as Kenshi walked up to him, taking a seat next to Kuai.

“My apologies for disturbing you,” Kenshi spoke genuinely, making Kuai slightly more comfortable. “My mind was plagued with doubt and uncertainty, and I found myself unable to sleep.”

Kuai said nothing to keep up his disguise, turning his head to stare out at the Outworld market. Although night had fallen over the desert, the market was still alive, the fire from torches lighting the area as the people continued to commence their activities. 

Kenshi said nothing for a moment before he turned to look at Kuai. “I will admit,” the telepath said, “I have my worries about our forces combining. With Jax’s issues with Ermac and Kabal’s history with Erron Black, I can’t imagine that our work will commence smoothly. Besides, we have issues of our own within our team…”

Although Kuai was intrigued by Kenshi’s last comment, the cryomancer pretended to act uninterested, taking a moment to tilt his head to the side - there was an audible cracking sound, sending a small wave of heat down the cryomancer’s neck. 

“There was a death in our forces recently,” Kenshi continued, talking to Kuai as though he was a therapist. “He was a respected warrior that was killed by his blood-brother and his brother-in-arms; Bi-Han and Hanzo. They’re the men in black and yellow, respectively.”

Kenshi sighed, a resigned look on his face. “His name was Kuai Liang. Bi-Han had despised his younger brother for a long time - just before his younger brother had died, Bi-Han had a change in heart. He realized how much he meant to his younger brother, and understood that he had failed to return the respect and admiration. Unfortunately, he was too late…”

Kuai’s adam apple bobbed slightly, thinking about whether Kenshi was telling him the truth, or just a lie to get Kuai to confess his true identity. However, looking at the troubled face of the telepath, Kuai believed that Kenshi was telling him the truth.

“As for Hanzo,” Kenshi continued, staring down at his hands, “he fell into a continuing period of self-loathing. You see, he didn’t know that the man was Kuai Liang. Once he found out, after Kuai had died, he was devastated. He still blames himself.”

“I’m worried,” Kenshi confided, “because Johnny Cage and Tomas Vrbada are resentful of Bi-Han and Hanzo. The rest of the Special Forces are also wary of them, as well. With this ridge in our team, I’m concerned that we won’t be able to be productive in securing possession of the amulet.”

Kenshi took another moment to study Kuai, tilting his head curiously. “You remind me of him.”

Kuai stilled, trying to pretend that he hadn’t heard the telepath.

Kenshi didn’t seem to pick up on his discomfort as he carried on. “His mind was very difficult to read - it was very fascinating, actually. His mind had taken the shape of an elaborate maze - it was difficult for me to pick up on his thoughts and access his memories. Sometimes, I think that I never truly knew him…”

“But your mind is similar in that regard,” Kenshi continued, looking at Kuai. “It’s very hard for me to read… but everything’s dark. Your mind is more chaotic and thrown about - there’s a dark cloud that is covering your mind, making it impossible for me to pick up on _anything_ from you. I was able to pick up on surface emotions from Kuai, but with you, I can’t pick up on anything.”

Kuai relaxed slightly at Kenshi’s words, realizing that the telepath could not read him. However, Kenshi did not seem done, yet. He frowned in concern, placing a hand on Kuai’s shoulder. “You are in a very poor mental state, my friend. What has happened to you?”

That was enough for the cryomancer. Kuai stood up abruptly, throwing Kenshi’s hand off of his shoulder as the cryomancer slid down the edge of the roof. Kuai’s feet landed on the edge, coming to an abrupt halt as he lowered himself so that his hands were gripping the edge of the stone with his body dangling over the edge.

Kuai let go of the edge of the roof, dropping a few meters to land on the railing of his balcony. He wobbled slightly on the railing, swaying back before he leaned forward again, jumping down onto the solid ground. Kuai looked back up to the roof above him, not able to see Kenshi from this angle. For a brief moment, the cryomancer worried if he had given too much away as he walked inside his bedroom and shut the sliding door behind him.

As he fell into his bed for the last time that night, Kuai wondered if he could push through long enough for the Earthrealmers to leave before he drifted off to sleep.


	20. Tension

**_I don't wanna live_ **

**_To waste another day_ **

**_Underneath the shadow_ **

**_Of mistakes I've made_ **

**_'Cause I feel like I'm breaking inside._ **

**_I don't wanna fall_ **

**_And say I lost it all_ **

**_'Cause maybe there's a part of me_ **

**_That hit the wall;_ **

**_Leaving pieces of me behind._ **

**_And I feel like I'm breaking inside._ **

\- **Shinedown, “Breaking Inside”**

* * *

Hanzo opened his eyes slowly, raising a hand to block the sunlight that was streaming in from his window. The Shirai Ryu slowly sat up, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed as he stretched. 

As Hanzo washed and dressed to get ready for his day, his mind replayed the fight that had occurred in one of the Outworlder’s bedrooms last night. Tomas had been walking down the hallway and toward Hanzo when Bi-Han had arrived at the scene from an adjoining hallway. The new Grandmaster of the Lin Kuei had immediately lashed out, making a giant scene in the hallway.

It got to a point where Jax shouted at them from his room - _“If you don’t take it outside, I’ll ram your heads UP YOUR ASSES!!!”_

They didn’t want to walk all the way outside, so they settled for stepping into an open, vacant bedroom as Tomas continued to blame them for the death of his best friend. Hanzo didn’t know how long they were there, nor how long the Outworlder - Ghost - had been standing in the doorway. Neither one of them had noticed Ghost, and while they were speaking with loud voices, they were all trained warriors who always listened for footsteps. The fact that Ghost had crept up on them had startled the three of them.

Now, Hanzo made his way out of his bedroom, shutting the door securely behind him as he walked down to the kitchen which had been shown to him on the tour yesterday. When he stepped into the room, he discovered that a lot of the Earthrealmers had accumulated in the room, eating the morning meals that they had made themselves. Only Tomas seemed to be absent, something that Hanzo was thankful for.

Hanzo walked over to the screaming kettle, pulling a cup from the cabinets as he poured the prepared tea into the mug. He could feel Johnny’s spiteful glare on the back of his neck but didn’t say anything about it. 

For a moment, Hanzo remembered how he had been the one to send those glares at people - Kuai, especially. He felt that ever-present guilt rise up in volume, realizing that the discomfort that he was feeling from Johnny’s glare was probably what Kuai himself had experienced. Hanzo took a sip of the tea as it cooled, swallowing it down with the sour taste that had risen in his mouth from the thought.

The small conversations that were occurring between the Special Forces were brought to a dwindling quiet as footsteps approached from the hallway. Hanzo turned to the doorway, seeing the two newer Outworld warriors step inside.

Erron Black was talking flirtatiously to his companion, Ghost. The black-garbed warrior seemed completely done with the cowboy as he walked around the Earthrealmers and headed straight to the fruit basket, grabbing an apple. 

“Do you wanna go out to the sparring mats, later?” Erron asked, winking suggestively from under the brim of his hat. “We can take turns pinning each other… _if you catch my drift.”_

Ghost shoved Erron back with the hand that wasn’t clutching the apple, raising his middle finger in response as he tried to leave the kitchen. However, the cowboy recovered quickly and stood in his pathway, blocking him from leaving.

“You don’t have to be so _c_ _old,_ honey,” Erron complained, placing a hand on Ghost’s shoulder.

In a flash, Ghost moved in a blur - he threw the apple up in the air vertically as his hands snatched Erron’s wrist. With his leg, he kicked Erron’s legs out, forcing Black to fall. The cowboy landed on his back on the dining table, making the cereal bowls jump up slightly from the impact. Ghost had pulled a throwing knife from his jacket, hurling it at the table - it embedded into the wood next to Erron’s head. Hanzo realized that it had nicked the cowboy’s ear.

The apple landed neatly in Ghost’s open palm after the knife had buried itself into the wood. The warrior looked at Black with narrowed eyes for one last time before he stalked out of the kitchen, leaving shocked faces in his wake. Tomas had arrived just in time to witness the spectacle, standing in the doorway as Ghost passed by him.

“Aw, damn,” Black grumbled, pushing himself up as he yanked the knife from the wood before rushing after his comrade. “Hey, Ghost! Hold up really quick - I was just playin’!”

The stunned Earthrealmers all looked in shock as Tomas slowly entered the kitchen. “Well, that just happened,” the enenra remarked as he took a seat at the table. “What’s the agenda for today?”

“Sonya and I will be with Kotal and Jade to try and locate Mileena’s location using satellite technology and maps,” Stryker explained, scrolling on his phone absentmindedly. “The rest of you are free to do whatever you want, but try to not start any fights...”

Jax’s face darkened as he grumbled, but no one made any complaints. Hanzo turned to look back down at his cup, staring at the dark liquid as he took in the soothing aroma of the tea while the others started to return to their conversations once more.

“... Do you think that Kuai could have survived the fall?” Kenshi asked the group, a contemplative look on his face.

Everyone froze.

“What the hell do you think?” Johnny snapped. The topic was a sore subject for everyone, but Johnny had taken it very personally. “Why are you asking _now,_ you asshole?”

Kenshi pursed his lips, shaking his head. “... Nothing. It’s just… nevermind.”

Sonya leaned closer, frowning as she studied Kenshi’s subdued and dismissive stance. “Answer the question, Kenshi. Why are you asking about Kuai, now?”

“I went to the roof last night,” Kenshi sighed, divulging his thoughts, “When I was up there, I met with Ghost. His mind reminded me of Kuai’s - it was difficult for me to read his thoughts. I… I don’t know. There were too many similarities that I picked up on for it to be just a matter of chance.”

“What did you notice?” Kabal asked, interrogating the telepath.

“Well, he was wringing his hands in a similar manner that Kuai used to do when he was worried about something,” Kenshi recalled. “I don’t believe that he noticed that he was even doing it, to begin with. Then, Sento picked up on a faint scar over his right eye. It’s indiscernible to the naked eye, but Sento told me that it was there. Finally, with the way that Ghost took down Erron Black… I don’t know.”

Hanzo paused, thinking of the isolated Ghost and Kuai Liang, trying to piece the similarities together. He couldn’t picture Kuai behaving in such a way, and judging by the looks on the others’ faces, they couldn’t either. The proposed thought was left abandoned as Stryker changed the subject to get rid of the tension in the room.

Taking a sip from the steaming cup, Hanzo tried to shove off the lingering doubt that clung to his mind.

* * *

It was only an hour later when Kuai was summoned to the throne room.

The cryomancer frowned, slightly thankful that Kotal, Sonya, and Stryker had been able to find something quickly - it meant less time that the cryomancer would have to spend with his former team. Kuai had felt extremely vulnerable in the hallways; as a result, the cryomancer had locked himself in his bedroom. It was Ermac who came to deliver the summons to Kuai - the soul construct had teleported inside the cryomancer's room to deliver the message.

A month ago, the sudden appearance of Ermac in his bedroom would have startled Kuai - now that the cryomancer was more familiar with the behaviors of the Outworlders, he knew to expect this from Ermac, who didn't fully understand the need for privacy and doors. Sighing, Kuai had nodded, permitting Ermac to leave in a flash of neon green light. 

Now, Kuai was walking through the double doors into the throne room, seeing the large group of warriors clustered together in the center of the floor, looking up at Kotal and Sonya expectantly. Kuai readjusted the red bandana to ensure that it wouldn't fall off before he joined Erron in the back, keeping a distance away from his Earthrealm friends.

"Kano broke quickly under interrogation," Sonya spoke, referencing the Black Dragon leader who had been imprisoned in the Outworld prisons after his failed attempt to kill Kotal in the carriage. "Because he gave us Mileena's location, I have agreed to have ten minutes to talk with him - no Outworlders. He wanted only Earthrealmers in the room with him, so I will _humor_ his ridiculous request before we take him back to Earthrealm when this is over."

Kotal stepped forward, looking down at the group. "Mileena is located in the outskirts of Outworld's expansive jungles," the emperor spoke solemnly, with Jade sitting on her throne behind her husband. "General Blade has the coordinates. She will be discussing the attack plans before you depart."

With a nod from Kotal, Sonya walked down the steps to discuss the plan of attack. "The camp is heavily guarded by Tarkatan warriors. The majority of us will be leading a frontal charge to draw out the forces and distract Mileena from guarding the amulet. Meanwhile, a small task force will sneak around the camp to access the back tent, where we believe the amulet is being held. Because of the stealth that this recovers, I have settled on a team of four - Tomas, Hanzo, Bi-Han, and Ghost. When you grab ahold of the amulet, we expect Mileena and her forces to surrender. The four of you will have to be careful - you won't be receiving any back-up if things go wrong. Any questions?"

With no protests or suggestions from the warriors, they dispersed, preparing for the upcoming conflict.

After activating the portal machine that had been installed in Outworld's palace, Kuai found himself breathing through the humid air of the dense Outworld jungles, someplace nearby Mileena's camp. The cryomancer wasn't bothered by the heat - the Dragon Medallion offered him enough power to cancel out the effects. However, Kuai became concerned that the others would pick up on the chill that was radiating from his body. Reluctantly, Kuai retracted the cooling effect, grimacing as he began to sweat profusely now.

"Alright," Sonya spoke, handing Tomas a radio. The enenra tested the device to ensure that his voice could be heard on Sonya's connected radio before he hooked it onto his belt. "Let us know when you get into position and can see the main tent. When you hear all hell break loose, that'll be your cue."

"Got it," Tomas answered for the stealth group. With everything set and prepared, Tomas led the assassins through the thick brush, walking farther and farther away from the safety of the pack. Kuai crouched low in the cover of the trees, listening attentively for any peculiar sounds as he followed after the other three taller men.

A part of him was worried about being alone with the two people who had tried to kill him six months ago, but Kenshi's words reverberated in his mind, easing his worries. Kuai remembered Hanzo holding onto his blue headband the previous night, and he relaxed slightly, reassured that if his identity was uncovered, they wouldn't try to kill him.

While Kuai had been thinking over these things, he had blanked from his current situation and drowned out the sounds of the initiating argument between the remaining members of his teammates. Tomas was snapping rudely over his shoulder as Bi-Han was shouting back. Hanzo was stuck between diffusing the situation and adding his own words to the verbal fight. Kuai looked through the trees, trying to see if they were near the camp. Even if they weren't, Kuai was certain that their voices were being carried to the camp, alerting the enemy.

_He needed to end this, somehow..._

"How many times do I need to say that I'm sorry?!" Bi-Han snarled in irritation, glaring at Tomas. "I fucked up, okay?! You're right about everything; I'm was a shitty older brother, and I ruined Kuai's life. But there's nothing that I can do about it, now! You keep holding this over my fucking head - it's been six months, how long are you going to remind me of that day?"

"As long as I have to!" Tomas snarled, coming to an abrupt halt in the bushes as he whirled around to glower at Bi-Han and Hanzo. "You don't get to just forget about it and walk away - someone has to hold you accountable for your actions, and I sure as HELL don't trust _you_ to do it yourself. You can count on me doing this for another six _years,_ you backstabbing bitch! As a matter of fact, you can kiss your Lin Kuei visiting privileges goodbye - no one at the Lin Kuei wants to see your faces."

"He's suffering every day with the realization that he messed up," Hanzo spoke firmly, not trying to be quiet as he tried to drill the point into the enraged enenra. "Leave the man to his own demons, if you want him to suffer - every person's worst enemy is themselves."

A dark shadow covered Tomas's face as he stalked closer to Hanzo. Kuai took this moment to intervene - he pushed past Bi-Han and placed himself between his best friend and the Shirai Ryu, holding his hands out to maintain the distance between the two. Realizing that he couldn't speak, Kuai just settled for shaking his head in what he hoped conveyed his exasperation and disappointment. He pointed with his thumb to the direction of the camp, raising his index finger to his lips behind the bandana to shush them.

Finally, a silence descended on the four of them. While the tension was still suffocating, no one talked. Tomas sent a last pointed glare at Hanzo before directing the same look to Bi-Han as well; with his displeasure made clear, the enenra turned on his heel as he trudged through the greenery, making somewhat of an effort to keep his steps quiet.

Kuai huffed in relief as he let Bi-Han and Hanzo walk ahead of him, following after the group. The cryomancer was thankful that he had managed to diffuse the situation, for the time being, meaning that they _might_ be able to succeed in their mission. After walking for another ten minutes, the group was standing on a ledge that overlooked the back of the camp. The large main tent was right in front of them, the top of the canvas in their faces. Unfortunately, Kuai couldn't see around the tan tarp to see how many guards were stationed outside the tent - he could only guess in that regard.

Tomas unhooked the radio from his belt, sending a distrustful look in Bi-Han's direction as he activated the device. The feedback from the radio crackled as Tomas spoke, "We're in position, Sonya. We're waiting for things to happen on your end, over."

 _"Copy that,"_ Sonya's distorted voice rang out so that the others could hear, _"We're charging right now - hang in tight."_

With that, the General disconnected, leaving Tomas to holster the radio once more. He looked to the others, gesturing with his head to the tent that was right in front of them. "I'll go in and retrieve the amulet; when I'm done, I'll phase through the tent and come back up here. Then, we can leave."

"Can you even phase through solid objects?" Hanzo questioned. "I thought that you needed an opening for you to escape in your smoke-form. It would be better if I teleported into the tent. After getting the amulet, I could easily teleport back up here, and we can rejoin the others."

Bi-Han crossed his arms, looking at the others with narrowed eyes. "Your teleport summons fire - it could catch the tent and set it up in flames, bringing everyone back. My teleport is the most stealthy - I'll get it so that we can go back home; I'm sick of deserts and hot jungles."

"You guys must be fucking _stupid_ if you think that I'm leaving one of you alone unsupervised," Tomas hissed, pointing his finger at Hanzo and Bi-Han. _"I'm_ going into the damn tent, and you're going to stay here, away from the amulet before you screw up everything!"

"Don't let your anger affect your judgment," Hanzo cautioned, his patience clearly wearing thin in the tone of his testy voice.

Unfortunately, Tomas had picked up on the irritation coming from the Shirai Ryu. In seconds, the three of them were roped back to their argument, spitting insults and curses at each other as the thoughts of the mission went completely out of the window.

The whole time, Kuai just surveyed the chaos from the side, huffing in exasperation as he fixed a deadpan stare at the group. In the distance, Kuai could hear the sounds of fighting at the front of the camp - Sonya had led the kombatants into the camp, and they were now engaged in battle with the Tarkatan forces. Kuai clenched his jaw worryingly as he looked toward the direction of the front of the camp; the others were depending on Kuai's team to complete their end of the mission so that they could end the fight easily and overpower Mileena.

Turning back to look at Hanzo, Bi-Han, and Tomas, Kuai didn't think that they would be finishing anytime soon.

_Unless..._

Shaking his head in annoyance, Kuai turned to face the tent, drawing one of the larger knives from the back of his belt. With a quick slash, there was now a wide gap in the fabric that enabled Kuai to slip through the tent. The cryomancer ran through the opening, landing on the ground inside the tent in a crouching position. He looked at the entrance of the tent with a hand on his pistol, waiting to see if a guard would try to enter the tent. When no one entered, Kuai turned around, seeing a small rectangular chest. The cryomancer opened the lid of the wooden box on its hinges, confirming the presence of the golden amulet on the inside.

The cryomancer retrieved the amulet before shutting the lid firmly as it seemed like the others had finally noticed that their comrade was gone. Through the tear in the tent, Kuai could see the faces of his teammates peering through the fabric with astonished expressions, looking down at Kuai. The cryomancer held up the amulet with an unimpressed expression on his face, quirking an eyebrow as he pocketed the amulet in his jacket, pulling the zipper shut. Kuai stood on the table, intending to jump up when he heard the sound of the tent flap being drawn back.

Whirling around, Kuai snarled upon seeing Rain enter the tent. The demigod's eyes landed on Kuai's figure, narrowing at the sight of the sudden intruder.

 _"Fuck me,"_ Kuai hissed under his breath, not caring if the others had heard him speak.

Raising his hands, Rain sent tendrils of lightning at Kuai, who rolled to the side to avoid getting hit. He threw knives blindly at Rain in a wide fan as he fell to the ground, hoping that one of them would hit him. As luck would have it, one of the knives lodged itself into the forearm of the demigod, who grunted in pain as he lifted a hand to pull out the weapon. While he was preoccupied with his task, Kuai rushed at Rain, tackling him through the tent entrance until they were falling to the dirt ground outside in broad daylight.

 _So much for_ _subtlety..._

Luckily, it seemed as though Sonya's forces had drawn out all of the Tarkatan forces - only Rain was left in the back of the camp. As Kuai got onto his feet to face the male Edenian, he heard heels clicking on the ground toward them. Kuai looked up, seeing Tanya stroll casually into the clearing, glaring at the cryomancer who had bested her before.

Now, as Kuai was getting into a fighting stance after drawing his firearms, he heard footsteps running up from behind him - Tomas, Bi-Han, and Hanzo were now standing behind the cryomancer, offering their support as Rain and Tanya charged forward determinedly, launching precise strikes and kicks. Kuai pushed Tanya back with a short jab, trying to not overextend himself. As she started to push Kuai into a corner, she was thrown away from him after Bi-Han had grabbed her by the shoulders and threw her into a portal. The female Edenian fell through the floor with a startled yelp as Bi-Han looked to Kuai.

"Get the Medallion out of here," the older brother spoke, pointing to the front of the camp where the sounds of conflict were steadily getting closer and closer - possibly because the Earthrealmers and Outworlders were succeeding in overwhelming the Tarkatans. Kuai nodded once, spinning on his heel to take off down the cleared path amongst the other taupe tents. 

Kuai came to a screeching halt a distance away when he heard an enraged and feral howl from over his head. Spinning around, he received a kick to his chest, sending him to the ground. Kuai rolled away and quickly got back onto his feet in one motion, narrowing his eyes at the sight of Mileena. She was already injured - cradling her arm which was bleeding from a deep cut into the flesh. Her mask was lowered, revealing her gruesome teeth as they gnashed with irritation at Kuai. The cryomancer felt the amulet in his pocket, reminding him of the importance to survive. 

"That belongs to _me,"_ Mileena hissed, glaring with her abnormal golden eyes at the cryomancer. 

In response, Kuai whirled the pistol in his hands, lifting up the pocket mockingly. "Come and get it, then."

Howling, Mileena was on the cryomancer like a wild banshee. Kuai spun out of range from her vicious swipes, sending off a couple of bullets. One of them tore through Mileena's shoulder while the other caught her in the foot - Kuai couldn't kill the half-Tarkatan under the order of Kotal Kahn; the emperor had requested that Mileena be brought before the court so that she could be properly executed. Gritting his teeth, Kuai knew that he had to end this fight non-lethally. But how?

After ensuring that no one was nearby, Kuai threw a fast-handed ice ball at Mileena. Her eyes widened like saucers before she was frozen in place. Kuai dashed at her, jumping in the air horizontally as he planted his feet in her face, falling to the ground on his back as gravity took effect. Her head snapped back as the ice shattered; Mileena fell to the floor, slumping unconscious from the savage hit to the head.

The cryomancer anxiously looked at the shattered pieces of ice; they were quickly melting under the summer heat in the jungle, but the chunks were still present. If someone was to come right now, they would clearly see the ice shards on the dirt ground. Cursing under his breath, Kuai stomped on the larger chunks to break them up - he knew that if they were in smaller pieces, they'd melt quicker. As he stomped on the last piece, Kuai turned toward Mileena, who was still lying on the ground. He cut off a piece of rope from a hitched tent, making it fall without the proper support.

Kuai took the thick rope and bound the half-Tarkatan's wrists, preventing her from being able to attack should she wake up. In an afterthought, Kuai also decided to bind her legs as well, ensuring that she wouldn't be able to run away, either. With Mileena properly restrained, Kuai could finally take a sigh of relief, knowing that they had succeeded.

With thundering footsteps, the remaining Tarkatan warriors rushed onto the scene, with the kombatants chasing after them, hot on their heels. They all paused at the sight of Kuai standing over the defeated Mileena. Now that their leader was defeated, the Tarkatans laid down their weapons in surrender as they got to the ground on their knees reluctantly. As they were rounded up and bounded in chains, the remainder of Kuai's team ran over to reunite with the others.

Tomas panted slightly, nodding at Sonya. "Sorry; things didn't really go according to plan. We were held up by Rain and Tanya, but they escaped after Rain teleported away."

"Do you have the amulet?" Sonya pressed, frowning as she took in the enenra's words.

Wordlessly, Kuai unzipped the pocket with the trinket inside. He held up the talisman gingerly, passing it over to Johnny carefully. The ex-actor took it with widened eyes, pocketing it securely before looking up to meet Kuai's eyes. "Thanks, man," Johnny spoke, nodding at Kuai. "It looks like we can wrap this up, now," Johnny continued, looking over at Sonya, who nodded in response.

As Sonya started to bark orders and prepared for the teleportation back to the Outworld palace, Kuai took another relieved breath. Now, he was one step closer to getting far away from his Earthrealmer friends and returning to a more peaceful state of life...

_Right?_

* * *

Kuai frowned from his seated position, looking over at the others as the Earthrealmers stood off facing the Outworlders.

Mileena had been locked up in the prisons along with the other surviving Tarkatans. Sonya was in a safe room with Johnny and Kenshi, talking with Kano. While Sonya had been reluctant to uphold her end of the bargain, giving Kano the audience he requested, she had dragged herself to the interrogation room where the Black Dragon leader was waiting for her. She had taken Johnny and Kenshi with her for backup, leaving the others to stay in the throne room with the Outworlders.

Kotal and Jade were outside, addressing the citizens of Outworld about the capture of Mileena and their plans for dealing with her. Kuai suspected that there would be an extravagant execution in the Koliseum, where the more-important executions took place. The cryomancer only attended to stay by Jade's side for her protection, but he could do without the event - the cheering from the sight of the rolling heads on the ground made him uncomfortable. Kuai couldn't believe that people took _joy_ from seeing death - hearing the jeers from the crowd always unsettled him.

Now, however, without the leaders of their respected parties, the remaining Outworlder and Earthrealmer warriors were staring at each other distrustfully. With a jolt, Kuai realized that Jax was trying to get at Ermac again - the metal-armed soldier was shouting with the loudest voice in the room. Kuai, who was sitting on the stone steps that led up to the throne, got onto his feet as Jax threw a punch. The fist connected with Ermac's face, which prompted Erron to unholster his pistols, aiming them directly at Jax warningly.

"Take one _big_ step back, partner," Erron's hollow and cold voice spoke lowly, glaring at Jax through narrowed slits.

"Don't tell me what to do, _raccoon,"_ Jax snarled, making an insult at the expense of the dark makeup that covered Erron's eyes in a raccoon-like mask. This only enraged the cowboy, who stepped forward with the intent to do harm as Stryker tried to pull Jax away from the conflict.

Kuai stepped between the Outworlders and Earthrealmers, placing his body in between the two hostile groups in an attempt to diffuse the situation. The cryomancer made a pointed look at Erron, telling the cowboy to relax as he turned toward Jax, who was looking at Kuai as if he wanted to murder him.

"Get out of here," Tomas snapped, strolling forward to shove at Kuai. The enenra had been quiet the entire time - since they had returned from the jungle. Kuai suspected that Tomas had bottled up his hatred of Hanzo and Bi-Han and was now pulling on those emotions, directing them at the cryomancer. Kuai frowned both in annoyance and worry, rubbing his shoulder where Tomas had pushed him.

"What the hell was that back there, anyway?" Tomas snarled, referencing the mission from earlier. "You just jumped into the tent and nearly cost us the mission! You should have let one of the super-powered people retrieve it; what if we hadn't been able to hold off Rain and Tanya for the reinforcements to come and help?"

"That _was_ pretty stupid," Bi-Han acknowledged, staring at Kuai with an emotionless, judging look.

Tomas's comment combined with Bi-Han's scathing comment had Kuai gritting his teeth. "Maybe," the cryomancer spoke in a deep, gruff voice that was laced with irritation and a lack of patience, "if you weren't busy _arguing_ about trivial things, I would have let one of you do your _fucking_ job. Do you have any idea how hypocritical you sound? How can you blame _me_ for almost sabotaging the mission when it was _your_ constant and childish _squabbling_ that was preventing us from even getting the amulet in the first place?! At least _I_ had the initiative to enter the tent, you fucking bastards!"

As Kuai's patience snapped and he lashed out, the cryomancer realized that he had spoken his tumultuous thoughts aloud, breaking the image of his supposed muteness. Now, Tomas huffed with anger and shock as he threw his hands up in the air wildly, chuckling sarcastically. "Wow," the enenra hissed, focusing his anger onto Kuai, "he fucking _speaks._ Tell me this, Mr. Cryptic, why the hell should I listen to the guy who hasn't said a word since we've been here, huh?"

Meanwhile, in the interrogation room, Sonya stared down Kano from across the table with narrowed eyes. The leader of the Black Dragon leaned back in the seat confidently, smirking as he looked into the eyes of the General. Johnny stood behind Sonya, sending warning looks at Kano while Kenshi stood right next to the door, blocking the entrance. The chains of Kano's cuffs, which were held in place by a metal loop in the table, prevented him from moving his hands far from the table.

"You wanted ten minutes to talk," Sonya ground out through clenched teeth, keeping a hand on the taser on her belt as she stared down Kano, "so start talking - before your time runs out."

Kano grinned maliciously, showing yellowed teeth as the metal of his deactivated cybernetic eye flashed under the artificial light. "Alright, sweetheart; I'll get right into the details. I've got some... birds... in my organization. They come and go, telling me bits of information to keep me posted. Six months ago, I get the word that the Lin Kuei Grandmaster - one of your stronger allies - _poof._ He's gone. Fell off of a cliff and disappeared - no corpse was found; not one set of bones to bury."

Johnny slammed the table in a surprising act of anger, making both Sonya and Kano jump in surprise. "You don't get to talk about him, you piece of shit," Johnny snapped, glowering at Kano, who smirked in response.

Sonya pushed Johnny back, placing her hand on his chest to calm him. The former actor huffed angrily but did as Sonya wanted him, taking a step back from the table. With Johnny's anger subdued, Sonya turned back to Kano. "I assume that there's a point to all of this?" she spoke with a dangerous lilt to her voice.

"Yeah, yeah," Kano spoke, trying his best to wave his hand dismissively as far as the chains would let him. "I was gettin' there before your boy toy interrupted me. So, I hear that this friend of yours has died. I think at first - eh, it's no big deal. But then, my little bird tells me that this guy was the guy who killed Shao Kahn in the tournament, years ago. So then, I get a little more interested before my mind is busy with other things. You know - shipments and other black market deals."

"Why are you telling me this?" Sonya spoke, confused as to why the conversation had become about their dead friend. "What's your game, Kano?"

"I'm gettin' there!" Kano snapped before he composed himself, settling back in his seat. "About three days ago - the day that I got captured, you could say that I... _saw a Ghost._ Heh, literally and figuratively, if ya catch my drift..."

"What?" Johnny asked, pure confusion lacing his tone.

Suddenly, Kenshi walked from his position at the door to step right in front of Kano. "Choose your words carefully, scumbag," the telepath spoke with a deadly seriousness that took Sonya and Johnny aback. "What did you see, Kano? What about Ghost?"

The Black Dragon leader was leaning away from Kenshi in his seat, looking up at the telepathic warrior warily. "Calm your tits," Kano spoke slowly, trying to diffuse the tenseness in the atmosphere as he chuckled nervously. "He was sittin' in the carriage with Kotal and his pet wife. The guy had that scar over his eye, the same place that I remember. Also, there was this... _chill..._ that was coming from him. He's a frosty guy, right?"

"That means nothing to me," Sonya spoke dismissively, crossing her arms as she kept a composed poker face. "You don't have any proof that it is Sub-Zero; there are other cryomancers, you know. People can also get scars, too."

"Sure," Kano spoke slyly, leaning closer with a feral grin. "Except _he_ confirmed his identity to me. The moment he saw me, he looked like he wanted to kill me. Which - fair - most people have that same reaction, but he _hated_ me from the first second. And that look in his eyes... _whew!_ It was sending shivers down my spine; he _recognized me._ He told Kotal that he had met me in the tournament and that I had supported Shao Kahn. From there, I just put two and two together. It wasn't hard to figure out, once I realized that the fucker was alive."

Johnny's face had lost all color while Sonya's mouth had thinned into a thin line, trying to figure out if the crook was telling them the truth. Kenshi tilted his head, turning his face toward Kano. "Why are you disclosing this information to us?" Kenshi asked, a frown on his face. "What benefit would it have for you?"

"The bastard cheated me out of the money that I was going to get for killin' Kotal," Kano spat, a disgusted look on his face. "100K, gone just like that. Besides, I know that he's hidin' just to escape from his past and the people who tried killin' him the first time. Now that you know, he's gonna have a rough time. I _live_ to create chaos and mayhem." With that, Kano sneered, shrugging as he leaned back in the metal seat as the chains jangled from his wrists. "So, now ya know."

With those words, Sonya stood up, slamming her hand on the table. "We're done here; you're ten minutes are up. When we leave to go back to Earthrealm, you're coming with us to answer for what you've done."

She left the room as Johnny and Kenshi followed after her, shutting the door with a slam behind them as they stood in the hallway outside. Sonya turned immediately toward Kenshi, covering her hand over her mouth as she pondered over Kano's words. "Is he telling the truth?" she asked the swordsman.

Kenshi hesitated before nodding, crossing his arms. "I took a look into his memories and replayed that moment. Ghost - he _did_ summon ice. He froze Kano in place before he could kill Kotal. That, coupled with the similarities I saw... It's a bit too convenient, isn't it?"

Johnny sighed with stress, shaking his head firmly. "But why would he stay silent for so long? Why didn't he reach out to us, months ago?"

"Fear," Sonya stated bluntly, remembering the Black Dragon's words. "Kano said that Kuai was hiding from his attempted killers, Bi-Han and Hanzo. Given Bi-Han's last words, I think that Kuai wanted to stay dead so that Bi-Han could be happy. That is - if Ghost _is_ Kuai Liang."

"Well," Kenshi spoke slowly so that both Johnny and Sonya were looking at him, "there's only one way to find out, isn't there?"

"We've got to confront him."

* * *

"... why the hell should I listen to the guy who hasn't said a word since we've been here, huh?"

Kuai bit his tongue at Tomas's retort, trying to stall until Sonya or Kotal finished. "I'm just stating the obvious," the cryomancer spoke, trying to lessen the tension in the room. "If you don't let go of this hatred and anger, it will get you killed. You have no idea how many times I was tempted to leave you in the jungle and finish the job by myself."

"Well, maybe you _should_ have," Tomas retorted, crossing his arms. "Without our help, you would have died. Rain would have killed you, and the combined forces of him and Tanya would have overwhelmed you. Maybe we _should_ have let you go; one less irritating life to bother me."

"Hey," Hanzo spoke for the first time that they had gotten back, going up to Tomas. "That's enough. Walk away and calm down."

Tomas snarled like an animal at Hanzo, making the Shirai Ryu take a hasty step backward.

After making Hanzo back up, Tomas returned his attention to Kuai. Gnashing his teeth in anger, Tomas stepped forward with his fists clenched tightly at his sides. Kuai eyed the enenra's hands warily, taking a step back when Jax suddenly let out an enraged roar, throwing Stryker and Kabal off of him. All the heads in the room turned to watch with wide eyes as Jax sprinted toward Ermac, who was standing a distance away from the others as he tried to calm himself.

"Hey!" Kuai shouted, his voice slightly muffled from behind the blood-red cloth as he placed himself between the metal-armed man and the soul construct once more. Kuai stopped Jax in his tracks, holding his shoulders as Jax struggled against Kuai's hold. "Enough!" Kuai snapped, his patience coming to an end as his voice rang out in the throne room. "You can't blame him - he was under the control of Shao Kahn and had no self-control. He's as much of a victim as you are; let the past go!"

"Not until that fucker gets what's comin' to him," Jax growled, throwing Kuai to the side as he resumed his charge.

Kuai recovered quickly, looking at the distance between himself and Ermac. No one else was close enough to stop Jax from hitting Ermac - already, the Special Forces man had his fist drawn back in a prepared stance to drive the metal into Ermac's face. Everything seemed to slow down in time for Kuai as he started to run again, trying to get between Ermac and Jax before something bad happened, ruining the truce between the realms. Out of the corner of his eye, Kuai saw Ermac flinch back, raising his hands out in front of him as they glowed green. Kuai wasn't worried about Ermac, however - he was concerned about the hulking Special Forces soldier.

_Kuai **should** have been more worried about what Ermac was doing._

The cryomancer slid across the ground without needing the ice, the sound of his boots making a painful screeching noise against the polished stone. "Don't!" he called out to Jax, who leaped up in the air with the intent to drill a Superman Punch into Ermac's head. At the same time that Kuai got between the two, Ermac's hands glowed brilliantly in that neon lime green light.

Suddenly, Kuai found that the ground under his feet had disappeared. One moment, he was looking up at Jax with his two feet on the ground, and the next moment, he was in a sitting position with his back lying against one of the many columns in the throne room. These stone columns had jagged spikes jutting out of them in all sorts of directions - Kuai always looked at them with trepidation every time he walked into the throne room; they deeply unsettled him. The cryomancer blinked, looking slowly at the kombatants a distance away. Jax had frozen in his tracks while Ermac stared at Kuai with widened eyes, lowering his arms slowly as the glow died out. Kuai realized that Ermac had intended to hurl Jax away from him, but the force had caught Kuai, who had blocked the blast from hitting Jax.

Kuai took in the pale and shocked faces of the others before he followed their gazes, looking down at his chest. Those jagged spikes that ran out of the columns and instilled wariness in Kuai had _finally_ come to prove his fears correct - a particularly large and sharp-edged spike was protruding out of the center of his chest, stained red with his blood. Kuai lifted shaking hands to the spike, holding onto it as if to check that it was real.

The doors to the throne room were kicked open at that time as Sonya marched into the room, followed closely by Johnny and Kenshi. Her eyes scanned the group of kombatants, seeming to search for someone before she followed their gazes. Johnny gasped audibly when they saw Kuai up against the column. The three of them rushed to the cryomancer's side.

Kenshi clutched Kuai's hand as he shouted to the group, "Ermac! Reptile! Get Kotal Kahn here, quickly!"

The cryomancer coughed, feeling copious amounts of blood running out of his mouth. In his weakened state, Kuai barely registered the feeling of the bandana being removed from his face by Johnny, who recoiled at the sight. "Oh my god," the ex-actor whispered, dropping the red cloth to the floor. "Kano was right."

Sonya had her hands over the wound in a poor attempt to staunch the bleeding. Her eyes met Kuai's half-lidded ones as he felt himself slipping into unconsciousness. "Don't you fall asleep on me, Kuai," she spoke firmly but not unkindly as the others rushed up to them. "You don't get to die on me after _Kano_ of all people told me that you were still alive."

 _"Oh. My. God,"_ Kuai could hear Bi-Han speak quietly amongst the shocked murmurs of the group. 

"... Nice job," Kenshi spoke with admiration in his voice, nodding to himself. "You fooled us all - I had my suspicions, but I didn't _really_ believe that it was you."

"Can we talk about this later?!" Johnny cried out hysterically as Kuai coughed again, splatters of blood landing on the pristine floor. "He's fucking dying, you know!"

"... I'm sorry, man," Jax spoke to Kuai in a hushed voice as the reality set in for him. "I didn't mean for this to happen..."

"We've got to get him to the Soul Chamber," Erron ordered, gesturing at Kuai's slumped form. "Is there some way that we can get him off of that... _thing_... and transport him down the stairs?"

"Considering that he's missing a circle of his chest," Kenshi snipped, "I don't think so."

"Well do _something!"_ Stryker called out hysterically, looking around at the others with widened eyes.

Kuai panted, feeling his eyelids droop.

A sharp slap on his cheek had him blinking wildly as he stared up through narrowed eyes at a grinning Kenshi, who was smiling like a madman. "You heard Sonya," the telepath spoke sweetly, "no falling asleep. Besides - I think that every one of us gets to have a decent punch on your dumb face when you're all better for hiding from us..."

"Go fuck yourself," Kuai spoke, alarmed at the slurred speech that he was spitting out through mouthfuls of blood. His mind was hazy and his thoughts were jumbled as he struggled to keep his eyes open. "I should have just jumped off the fucking roof when I had the chance... wouldn't have to deal with this..."

"What the hell is he talking about?" Kabal asked gruffly. Their voices were getting more distorted to Kuai's ears as his vision swam in-and-out of focus.

Suddenly, Bi-Han's face was in Kuai's vision. With gentle hands, the older brother tilted Kuai's head up so that the cryomancer could see his brother's worried face.

The sight made the buried guilt in Kuai bubble to the surface; Kuai started to break down in silent sobs, covering his face with his hands. "I'm sorry... I know you wanted me to be stronger,... but I couldn't live up to your expectations. I thought you'd be happy... if I was dead... but you were hurting the whole time."

"That doesn't matter anymore," Bi-Han spoke in a soft, gentle voice as Sonya seemed to turn around to face someone, shouting indecipherable orders. "We have years of lost time to make up for, Kuai, so don't leave me, alright?"

Kuai, for the first time in six months, smiled happily without a trace of bittersweetness in his eyes. "That... sounds nice... I really missed you..."

With that, the cryomancer lost the strength to stay awake, and he felt his head droop down as the darkness finally engulfed him.


	21. Slipping Between His Fingers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm baa~ack!!!
> 
> Sorry for the long wait, guys! I just had writer's block, but with my birthday right around the corner, I really wanted to try and continue with this fic. And what better way than to get right into even MORE angst with one of my favorite songs...!
> 
> For those waiting on that happy ending, don't worry! It'll come around... soon. :3

**_I'm sorry that I hurt you;_ **

**_It's something I must live with every day._ **

**_An_ _d all the pain I put you through;_ **

**_I wish that I could take it all away,_ **

**_And be the one who catches all your tears..._ **

_**-** _ **Hoobastank, "The Reason"**

* * *

It was just ironic - what had happened that day.

Everything about the situation had been laced with irony: Kuai had _not_ been dead. He had been living under yet another guise and name, hiding from the people that he had wanted to protect.

Only adding to the ridiculousness of the moment was the presence of his good-hearted nature that had ultimately gotten him killed. The Kuai Liang that they all knew was a peacemaker - he did everything he could to try and hold their dysfunctional team together. It was this stubborn aspect of the man that got him killed, again.

The only difference was - this time - they _confirmed_ his death.

The jagged spike from the column was the only thing that stilled the blood loss of the cryomancer - removing Kuai from the column had only accelerated the loss of the blood. When they transported Kuai to the Soul Chamber, his only chance of survival, it had been too late. 

Hanzo could tell the moment that the cryomancer had left the land of the living; when they had stepped foot inside the Soul Chamber, Kuai's breathing had become so shallow to the point where his chest stilled. The natural paleness to the cryomancer's skin had somehow become paler - taking on the pallor of death.

Bi-Han could also tell when Kuai had ceased breathing, as well. While Kuai had been carefully removed from the pillar to not worsen the wound, the elder brother had clutched Kuai's hand. The group had been teleported to the Soul Chamber, but when they apparated inside the room, Hanzo could see that Kuai's hand was slackened - no longer holding onto his brother's. Hanzo, who had been subjected to the fury and rage of Noob Saibot, had never seen Bi-Han as enraged as he had been that day. The older brother had howled ferally, tones of anger laced into the older one's cry of lament.

Kuai's body had been laid onto the stone floor in that room - so close to survival with the Soul Chamber inches away, and yet, so far. Bi-Han cradled Kuai close to his chest, sobbing silently, much to the surprise of everyone in the room, who were more accustomed to the strictness of the man. Everyone could clearly hear the grief and sorrow that ached in Bi-Han's words as he buried his face in his younger brother's hair, crying and begging for Kuai's forgiveness.

Hanzo had to leave the room at that moment - the sight of it all was just too much for the Shirai Ryu. There was something more jarring about actually seeing the death for one's own eyes; before, when Kuai had fallen off the edge of the cliff, Hanzo hadn't been subjected to seeing the life leave from the cryomancer's body. This was much crueler for his friends to see - pain wrenched in Hanzo's chest when he realized that they would have to bury Kuai for a _second_ time.

Only adding to the bad news, the Earthrealmers and Outworlders had discovered that D'Vorah had fled from the palace; the Kytinn had stolen the amulet and taken off with the trinket. Along the way, she had enlisted the aid of Kano, freeing the crook so that they could escape together. After spending another three days in Outworld's scorching deserts, the Earthrealmers were forced to return home when D'Vorah was unable to be tracked. They returned to the Special Forces HQ feeling defeated, drained, and exhausted.

Hanzo had been thankful for their return home - after Kuai's sudden and unexpected death, there was an air of hostility radiating from the Outworlders. Ermac was rarely seen in the palace, as the lingering guilt from the soul construct forced him into isolation. Erron and Reptile were seen in the palace, sending nasty glares at the now-unwelcome guests. Thankfully, Kotal and Jade recognized that Kuai's death had been caused by unfortunate circumstances.

Jax had adopted Ermac's policy of retreating to his room, rarely seen by the others. Tomas had been in a state of shock over the last days that they spent in Outworld. The enenra could only remember how he and Kuai had fought moments before his death. Surprisingly, it had been Bi-Han who had approached the enenra and dragged him out of his room. Hanzo couldn't hear what Bi-Han had told Tomas in hushed whispers, but whatever the older brother had told Tomas, it had brought Tomas to tears as the enenra broke down in the abandoned hallway. Bi-Han had returned Tomas's act of seeking a hug of comfort. Later, when Hanzo asked what Bi-Han had told Tomas, the older brother had shrugged slightly.

"I told him that he was there for Kuai when I wasn't," Bi-Han replied. He seemed tired and exhausted, yet he managed a small smile at that moment as he stared at the floor. "I said that, in more ways than one, he had become Kuai's brother - and through that, he's now _my_ brother."

Hanzo's throat constricted as he recalled Tomas's breakdown in the hallway. Bi-Han also let out a small huff as he spoke for one last time: "I also told him that Kuai wouldn't have wanted him to sit on his ass all day."

If there was one good thing that had come from this, Hanzo and Bi-Han were slowly being forgiven by the others. It took Kuai defending the two of them from Tomas's wrath to finally get through to the other Earthrealmers. It had surprised Hanzo to no end when he had been approached by _Johnny_ of all people. The ex-actor had cornered Hanzo in the kitchen, asking for more about how he and Kuai met. After detailing the story of the day that Hanzo had met Kuai in the tree hollow on Shirai Ryu territory, Johnny had laughed brokenly. "Yeah, that sounds like Kuai," Johnny had responded. The two of them had ended up trading stories, laughing at themselves until the sun had set.

Even _Tomas_ had approached Hanzo. The Shirai Ryu had been speaking with Bi-Han about plans when the current Grandmaster of the Lin Kuei had walked to them. Tomas had dropped like a stone into the seat next to Bi-Han, not looking over to the older men. After recovering from the lull in their conversation, Hanzo and Bi-Han continued to talk. Bi-Han was at a loss of what to do; he no longer wanted to stay at the Special Forces, but still wanted to fight for Earthrealm, in honor of Kuai's memory. It was here that Tomas interjected, urging Bi-Han to return to the Lin Kuei - with Kuai gone, having Bi-Han to teach the students would help the clan. After much persuasion, Bi-Han had finally accepted the offer when Tomas revealed that he was starting to draft plans for a treaty between the Shirai Ryu and Lin Kuei.

After returning to Earthrealm, with the amulet stolen by D'Vorah, Hanzo had seen that Satoshi and the other Kombat Kids waiting for their parents to return from the mission. Satoshi had come from the Shirai Ryu when his father had taken longer than usual to return home. The young ones stilled at the sight of the coffin - explaining what had happened had taken a while.

Hanzo and Satoshi returned to the Shirai Ryu through teleportation. Satoshi had said nothing the entire time - Hanzo thought that the young man was still angry at him. With this thought plaguing his mind, Hanzo had left Satoshi in the kitchen as the Shirai Ryu General retreated to his room where he unpacked his belongings. Halfway through the process, Hanzo broke down with no one around to witness his moment of weakness. He fell to his knees on the hardwood floor, covering his face in his hands as he cried. The irrational, overly emotional part of him was resentful at Kuai for intervening in the conflict between Jax and Ermac, but Hanzo knew that it was foolish of him to be angry at the cryomancer.

With the bedroom door creaking open, Hanzo had whirled around to see Satoshi standing in the doorway. The young man took in Hanzo's disheveled state before he silently walked over to his father, falling to the ground. Father and son embraced in a long-deserved hug, both sobbing in sorrow and loss.

* * *

_Four Months Later..._

"It's too goddamn cold up here," Hanzo grumbled, pulling up the zipper of his warm jacket.

"There are heaters inside," Tomas reassured him, walking ahead of the grumpy Shirai Ryu as he led Hanzo to the Lin Kuei temple. "After we re-established the Lin Kuei, it was one of the first things that Kuai fixed. As kids, we always complained about how cold it got at night, but after they were installed, Kuai used to complain about how _hot_ it was. Can you believe that?"

The two of them finally reached the temple grounds, bustling with activity. Hanzo could see the students running this way and that, engrossed in their training routines. Hanzo took a moment to take in the sight of the beautiful winter scenery as Tomas brought him to the front doors of the temple. They stepped inside, and Hanzo sighed at the sensation of the running heat circulating in the building. 

Tomas led Hanzo through the winding hallways to a training room. Stepping inside, Hanzo saw only two people in the room. The Shirai Ryu General quickly recognized Bi-Han as one of the sparring people, but the other person was unfamiliar to him. It was a woman with cropped blue hair, dressed in the traditional Lin Kuei colors. Hanzo blinked in surprise when the female warrior stuck out her hand - a blue beam of light flew at Bi-Han, who dodged the strike. The light hit the opposite wall; much to Hanzo's surprise, ice started to build up from the epicenter of the blast.

Bi-Han took the female's exposed stance to his advantage - he pressed forward, knocking her off of her feet. She landed on her back, the breath forced out of her body from the impact. Bi-Han placed his foot on her chest, forcing her to surrender the fight.

The female cryomancer growled with clear irritation, scrambling to get back onto her feet. The two of them noticed Tomas and Hanzo in the doorway of the training room. Bi-Han was quick to bow in respect to the Grandmaster, while the female did so reluctantly. 

Tomas didn't seem to be fazed by the woman's lack of respect as he called for Bi-Han to join them. The instructor left his pupil in the room, giving her a set of instructions to complete in his absence. She huffed in reply, rolling her eyes as Bi-Han left to join them.

As they walked together toward the office, Hanzo frowned in thought, focusing on the female cryomancer. "Who is she?"

"Frost," Bi-Han and Tomas both sighed in unison, sharing a look of long-suffering. "She was sent to us by Liu Kang after Kuai died - I couldn't teach her, because I know nothing about cryomancy. However, since Bi-Han was a cryomancer, I thought that he'd have more luck."

"Teaching her is my penance for all the wrongdoing I have done in my life," Bi-Han droned in a monotone voice.

"She can't be _that_ bad..." Hanzo trailed off, not fully believing his own words as he remembered the pupil's attitude toward her superiors.

"I have no fucking idea how Kuai had the patience for any of this," Tomas complained as he shoved the office door open, making room for Hanzo and Bi-Han to step inside. "She's arrogant, quick to anger, and has no respect for _anyone._ She came from the fighting rings on the streets with no one to support her, so I can understand why she has _no fucking manners."_

As the door shut tightly behind them, Tomas quickly strode to his desk. His fingers flew on the keyboard, logging into the device as he joined a video call with the other Earthrealm warriors already joined in the call. With the video pulled up, Hanzo and Bi-Han stood behind Tomas so that the three of them could be seen on the camera. 

"Alright!" Tomas declared, checking to make sure that the mic was on, "We're all here. What happened?"

 _"Whoa! Hold up,"_ Johnny spoke on the call, waving his hands to interrupt Sonya's starting words. _"What's Hotshot doing at the Lin Kuei?"_

"Haven't you heard?" Bi-Han responded in a dry tone. "The Lin Kuei and Shirai Ryu have an alliance - the Liang Treaty. We're working together to teach the students."

 _"This is all old news,"_ Sonya sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose as she silenced everyone in the call. _"Please, stop talking until I'm done - this is serious. Cassie's team went out for another recon mission in search of D'Vorah and the amulet. They not only found D'Vorah, but they also found Quan Chi. As all of you know, we've suspected D'Vorah to be working with Quan Chi, which was confirmed to be true. We've also suspected that D'Vorah has been abducting and killing Special Forces, Shirai Ryu, and Lin Kuei warriors."_

Everyone nodded solemnly. Hanzo remembered the first day that it had happened, only a month ago - he had been alarmed at the fact that ten of his warriors had gone missing in the middle of the night. Special Forces and the Lin Kuei had also reported losses, leaving them puzzled as to who had been responsible for this attack. As a precaution, all three organizations had increased the night patrols to ensure that there would be fewer casualties. While the frequency of the attacks remained the same, the number of warriors abducted each night was only one or two. Still, Hanzo disliked it immensely. He had Satoshi stay in the heavily-fortified Special Forces base, which was more secure than the exposed Shirai Ryu territory layout. Still, the Special Forces were also reporting daily losses as well, with soldiers being snatched from the outskirts of the paths.

_"Cassie and her team managed to overtake Quan Chi and D'Vorah, and they're now being held prisoner here in the Special Forces HQ. Kenshi and I interrogated Quan Chi last night, and we've gained some information. First, the amulet is still missing. With D'Vorah being hunted across the realms, they handed it off to a third unknown party. Quan Chi would not tell us who this third person is, but be aware that there is another unaccounted threat. Second, the abductions **are** of Quan Chi's design. He's getting our people killed and raise them from the dead, just as he turned Jax into a revenant. By shortening our numbers, he's also increasing his own. We think that he plans on using our deceased warriors to lead an attack on the Jinsei, to finish what he started."_

"Was it D'Vorah who abducted our people?" Bi-Han pressed, eyes narrowed as anger bled into his voice.

 _"No,"_ Kenshi sighed, leaning back in his chair from his own webcam. _"It's this unknown third party that has been taking out our soldiers. I'm still trying to get a name or image from Quan Chi's mind, but it's proving difficult for me to break through his mental defenses. I would advise you all to stay on high alert - something that bothers me is that this individual knows the weaknesses in our defenses. He's managed to stay out of the cameras' ranges, so we don't have a visual on them."_

An uncomfortable silence settled in the room.

 _"Wait,"_ Sonya suddenly spoke, standing up from her seat as she turned to the side. She walked away from the computer, disappearing from the computer camera, leaving the others confused as to what was wrong. Suddenly, the general ran back to the camera, cursing under her breath as she ducked down to hide in the space under her desk, holding the laptop in her hands.

 _"What's going on?"_ Johnny asked anxiously, seeing the distress on Sonya's face.

 _"I heard screaming outside my office,"_ Sonya hissed under her breath, taking her pistol from her holster as she clicked off the safety. _"Johnny, Jax - anyone - get the fuck down here and help me!"_

 _"We'll be right there,"_ Stryker responded immediately as his camera disconnected. The other Special Forces personnels' cameras turned black before disappearing as they logged out of the call. Tomas shut off the call, standing up immediately. "We've got to go and help them, now!" the enenra barked, whirling around to look at Hanzo and Bi-Han. 

Hanzo shared a glance with Bi-Han. "I'll go right now," Hanzo spoke, referring to his ability to teleport. Bi-Han nodded in a clipped manner, waving his hand in Tomas's direction. The enenra yelped as he felt the floor disappear from under his feet - he had fallen through one of Bi-Han's shadow portals, heading quickly to the Special Forces base. With Tomas gone, both Hanzo and Bi-Han utilized their own abilities to join their comrades in the siege.

In a burst of hellfire, Hanzo stood up from his crouching position, unraveling his kunai. The familiar weight of the chain offered reassurance as the sirens blared through his ears, alerting the soldiers of the imminent threat. The Shirai Ryu General turned to see Bi-Han appear next to him with Tomas scrambling to get back onto his feet. The enenra muttered a few choice curse words at Bi-Han's lack of warning with the portal as the three of them rushed inside the complex.

Hanzo ran through the familiar hallways toward Sonya's office, where the general was being attacked. With the alarms blaring in the building, the lights flashed red as they blinked on-and-off. Hanzo's mind flew to Satoshi, wondering if his son was safe from the sudden surprise attack. They turned the corner, and Hanzo had to duck to avoid the slashing weapon thrown at his face.

"Jesus!" Kabal panted through his mask, sheathing his hook swords as he recognized them. "Don't fucking scare me like that!"

"Is Sonya okay?" Tomas asked, concern leaking through his voice.

"I'm fine," Sonya spoke through gritted teeth in the back of the group of Special Forces. She was mostly unharmed, save for the bleeding gash on her cheek just below her eye. "The bastard got away - he slipped right out of the window when he heard the others coming to the office."

Much to Hanzo's relief, the kids were also there with Satoshi, who was shivering slightly. Hanzo rushed to his son, pulling Satoshi into a hug of relief. "Thank the gods - you're safe," Hanzo sighed, exhaling as the stress left his body.

"We have to go to the holding cells, _now,"_ Kenshi spoke urgently, unsheathing Sento. The blade glowed in its turquoise blue light as the blind swordsman walked forward through the group. "He's trying to free Quan Chi!"

Cursing, Hanzo followed the group to their new destination, running through the staircase to get to the lower levels. Bi-Han leaped over the railing, falling and skipping over several flights of stairs as he landed like a cat on his feet, repeating the process to get to the lowest level the quickest. When Hanzo was struggling to get past the group, he did the same. Tomas phased into a cloud of smoke, following after Hanzo and Bi-Han as they skipped past the levels quickly. Eventually, the three of them reached the doors to the prison cells first, standing at the only way in or out of the pure white room. 

They didn't wait for the others to catch up to them - Hanzo followed after Bi-Han and Tomas as they cautiously crept into the pure white containment chambers. The cell walls at the Special Forces were constructed with bulletproof glass, giving the soldiers a clear view into the cells that held the prisoners. Hanzo followed after the two Lin Kuei, walking past the empty cells. The three of them heard the thundering footsteps of their allies behind them as they came to a screeching halt before Quan Chi's cell.

The sorcerer was walking out of his cell, the glass door opened agape for him to easily walk out of his confinement. He stood in the narrow corridor of the cells, smirking at the sight of the Earthrealmer warriors. Behind him, D'Vorah was now free as well, leering over Quan Chi's shoulder from behind as her glassy eyes fixated on the team. Her sharp triangular teeth were bared menacingly in an unspoken challenge.

Sonya strode to the front, leveling her gun at the two free prisoners. "Get back in that cell, Quan Chi," she warned, narrowing her eyes at the Netherrealm necromancer. Hanzo felt his anger building up from his gut as he stared at the man who had killed his family. Quan Chi was the reason that Hanzo's family had died, and the sorcerer had gone a step further in misdirecting Hanzo's vengeance from the true culprit. The Shirai Ryu's eyes narrowed as he studied Quan Chi with the patience of a _saint._

"Ah, if it isn't Scorpion and Noob Saibot," Quan Chi chuckled lowly, ignoring the blaring red lights and the Special Forces soldiers. His attention was focused solely on the duo that used to be enslaved under his command. Hanzo's hand tightened around his kunai, while he saw Bi-Han stiffen out of the corner of his eye. "What a happy _reunion,"_ the Netherrealm sorcerer crooned.

"I'm giving you one last chance to get into your cell," Sonya growled, her armguards glowing with that familiar pink energy as she aimed her left hand at Quan Chi. Johnny snorted lackadaisically, shrugging confidently. "I wouldn't be too worried, Sonya. With those handcuffs on, he can't access his magic - a little gift from Lord Liu Kang," the actor spoke louder, directly addressing Quan Chi and D'Vorah with his last sentence. "It's just one of the many perks of being one of the "good guys." If I were you, I'd get back into your cells, before we sic your old servants on you. I know that Hanzo's _dying_ to kill you."

Instead of having doubt cross his face, Quan Chi cackled, throwing his head back as he laughed. The Earthrealmers faltered, not expecting this response from the sorcerer. Quan Chi recovered instantly, his chuckles dying out as a particularly dangerous look crossed over his face. 

"The perks of being a "good guy," Mr. Cage?" Quan Chi questioned, grinning like a shark. "It's a good thing that the "bad guys" get one, too. Why don't I introduce you, what is undoubtedly, my finest work, yet?"

Hanzo felt his body seize up as a biting cold chill crept up his legs. The Shirai Ryu's head snapped to his feet, where he saw ice anchor his feet to the white linoleum floor. It spread quickly up the entire length of his body, immobilizing his limbs. From his peripheral vision, Hanzo could see that everyone else was suffering from the same fate, with some of them cursing aloud. Like Hanzo, they were being quickly encased in the hard, frigid ice. However, just as Hanzo was expecting the ice to cover his vision, it stopped at his neckline, leaving his head submerged. The others were stuck in the same position, with their heads uncovered. 

As Hanzo looked up from his own trapped body, his eyes widened in shock. In his panic, Hanzo hadn't registered the extreme drop in temperature - now, he took in the entire room. Ice clung to the walls, creating another layer on top of the walls. Icicles clung to the ceiling, their sharp edges pointing directly at the frozen kombatants. The entire floor was also encased in ice - only the floor that Quan Chi and D'Vorah were standing on was untouched.

There was a loud, crunching noise from behind the kombatants - Hanzo couldn't turn his head because of the limited movement as the figure took deliberate, menacing steps through the icy floor. With every step this individual took, the ice cracked under their feet, fragmenting into smaller pieces. The unknown figure made his way up to Quan Chi, only showing his back to the kombatants. Hanzo could clearly see that it was a male, decked out in dark attire. The figure wore a dark blue - almost black - vest that resembled the Lin Kuei uniform that Frost had worn. There was much more protection under the material, however. The armguards were constructed of metal and only made the man's figure more menacing. He didn't wear a cowl or hood, showing sleek raven black hair.

The figure lifted a hand toward Quan Chi's restraints as a light blue - almost white - glow engulfed the cuffs. In a flash, the restraints became ice; now, Quan Chi easily shattered the cuffs, rubbing his wrists with satisfaction as he looked down to the Earthrealmers.

"Say hello to your friends, _Sub-Zero."_

Hanzo bit the inside of his cheek as the cryomancer turned around slowly to face his old companions. The man was now a revenant, just as Hanzo and Bi-Han had once been. Kuai's appearance hadn't changed as it had Hanzo and Bi-Han, but it resembled Johnny's revenant that had tried to rise from Quan Chi's fortress. His veins glowed a fiery yellow, cracking through the cryomancer's pale skin. The scar running over his right eye was still there, only confirming Kuai's identity. However, the one thing that took Hanzo aback was the cryomancer's eyes. While Johnny's revenant had arisen with eyes that were the same color as his veins, Kuai's eyes were a blank white that glowed. They deeply unsettled Hanzo, staring blankly at the frozen kombatants.

"No..." Bi-Han croaked out hoarsely, shaking his head in disbelief. "His soul wouldn't have gotten to the Netherrealm - you couldn't have taken it to turn him into... this!"

Quan Chi chuckled again, enraging Hanzo. The Shirai Ryu felt the hellfire engulf his body as he tried to break out of his icy prison - however, with a disinterested wave of his hand, Kuai redoubled the strength of the ice surrounding the former hellwraith. Hanzo felt the ice constrict even tighter as it moved upward and clung to his left cheek - a clear unspoken warning.

"As I said, this is probably my _finest_ work," Quan Chi spoke, walking in circles around Kuai. The sorcerer stared at the undead cryomancer with admiration of his own handiwork - Kuai just stood there impassively, fixating his glowing, blank eyes at his friends. With every breath he took, the air materialized from his black mask in a fog. 

"It was no easy task - intercepting his soul from traveling to the afterlife," Quan Chi continued, explaining how he had resurrected Kuai. "It was even more difficult to bend his will - with Scorpion and Noob Saibot, I only had to feed into their dark desires. However, your friend here was a disgustingly virtuous individual. He resisted me for a frustratingly long time - I almost considered giving up on his transformation. However, everyone breaks, one way or another; he was no exception. I had to resort to mental warfare, instead of physical torture, which proved much more effective. I think it's much better this way - without a mind of his own, there's no chance of disobedience, is there?"

"Undo what you've done!" Bi-Han snarled, thrashing against the ice futilely. "Undo what you've done, Quan Chi - or I swear to god that I'll kill you!"

"I thought you would be happier, Bi-Han," Quan Chi responded as he waved his hand. A portal appeared behind him and D'Vorah - the Kytinn gave one last sneer before jumping into the portal. "Aren't you happy, knowing that your younger brother is alive and well? When I fully corrupt the Jinsei and destroy Earthrealm, I will have a space open in my ranks for you and Hanzo. The three of you can be together, once again. Isn't that what you want?"

"Death would be a more preferable option," Hanzo snarled in retaliation, imagining his hands wrapping around the sorcerer's neck to kill him.

"A pity," Quan Chi spoke without much regret in his tone. He turned around on his heel, walking past Kuai on his way to the portal. 

"Kill them," was the single order that Quan Chi gave the cryomancer before he disappeared behind the portal. It shut behind him, leaving Kuai alone in the prison with the frozen kombatants.

Kuai's blank eyes had not left his former friends - he only now cocked his head in a mocking gesture, studying them just as a tiger would before pouncing on its prey. He didn't take a step forward. He only stood there, still as the kombatants were in the ice. To Hanzo, it seemed as though the cryomancer was studying who to kill first.

"Kuai, _please,"_ Bi-Han spoke quietly, his voice echoing loudly nonetheless in the frozen room. "I know how strong you are - you can fight him off."

The cryomancer tilted his head in his older brother's direction. Hanzo noted that Kuai's fingers were drumming against his side; a chill spread down Hanzo's spine as he took in this gesture - it was too reminiscent of an animal playing with their food.

"Don't do this, Kuai," Bi-Han's voice seemed miles away to Hanzo's ears. "Please - just talk to me!"

It was here, at last, that Kuai spoke.

"Do you what I hated about my powers?" he asked slowly, with an impassive tone, not seeming to care if any of them responded. The undead tone to his voice only made him more menacing as his voice echoed hollowly. "When the ice encases the victim's head, they can't see the swing of the sword that ends their life. I had to refine my technique when I killed your warriors - now, I leave the head exposed. That way, I can see the light leave from their eyes. Did you see the light die out in my eyes, Bi-Han? Did you know the exact moment that I died?"

The kombatants blanched collectively as Bi-Han exhaled sharply. "Why are you doing this? If you were so obedient to Quan Chi, you would have killed us immediately. I know that you're still in there, Kuai."

"I died at twelve years of age," Kuai snapped, his eyes narrowing into slits. "I never escaped from the Lin Kuei - I died before I had a chance to escape. From that point on, I was just a walking corpse. I was never _living._ I was just a slave to the grind - working every day just to fall to this fate."

"You can live again!" Tomas cried out, trying to get Kuai to stop. "If you help us stop Quan Chi, we can restore you!"

"Your hope is _exhausting,"_ Kuai spoke monotonously, scoffing with derision. "You all have hopes and dreams - you don't realize how much it _poisons_ you. What is the point of working toward your goals, when there's only one destination that you work toward?"

"What destination is that?" Kenshi questioned, ceasing his struggle against the ice. 

"Death's cold embrace," Kuai responded. With a quick flourish of his hand, the cryomancer held an ice sword in his hand as he stalked toward Bi-Han, raising the sword in the air with the intent to strike down over his older brother's head.

Suddenly, Kenshi broke loose from his icy prison. With the distraction that the telepath had provided, Hanzo also melted through the ice, aiding the telepath in the charge against the cryomancer. Kuai was sent back and away from Bi-Han with a telekinetic shove from Kenshi, his boots skidding across the ice as he raised his ice sword to block Sento from connecting with his head.

Together, Kenshi and Hanzo struck with precise sword swipes at the revenant, driving him away from their trapped friends. Kuai let out a frustrated growl as he hurled a ball of ice at Hanzo. The Shirai Ryu narrowly dodged the projectile, leaving Kenshi alone to fight the cryomancer.

If the floors had not been in their current state, perhaps Kenshi and Hanzo would have much more ease in dispatching Kuai. However, with the floors covered in the sheet of ice, Kuai was in his element, giving him the clear advantage. When Kenshi rushed toward Kuai as Hanzo recovered from the dodge, the cryomancer caught the blind swordsman with a strike of his elbow, knocking Kenshi back.

Hanzo suddenly felt a cold hand constrict around his throat. He was lifted onto his feet, dropping his sword to clutch at the wrist that was cutting off his circulation. Hanzo summoned his hellfire in an attempt to burn Kuai's hand, but ice encased his wrists, protecting the cryomancer from the assault.

"I should have killed you the moment that I saw you in the tournament," Kuai hissed, as he drew his sword back, ready to drive it into Hanzo's chest as the Shirai Ryu's vision darkened.

Before Hanzo could feel the sudden pain, he felt himself being dropped - the Shirai Ryu General fell to the ground as a gust of wind cast him against the icy floor. Hanzo gasped for air as he looked up, eyes widening when he took in the sight.

The wall behind the cryomancer had been blown open, revealing the Elder Gods themselves standing in the opening. Kuai, who had fallen onto his knees, quickly got back onto his feet as he brandished his sword at the gods.

"You can't win," Liu Kang advised the cryomancer, his hands crackling with lightning. "Yield, Kuai Liang."

"I don't need to win," Kuai responded dully. "I just need to stall for Quan Chi to infiltrate your Sky Temple."

With a wave of his hand, Fujin sent a gust of wind toward Kuai - it caught the cryomancer and sent him sprawling backward against one of the other intact walls. His head connected with the ice, and he fell to the ground, unconscious in a sitting position with his head bowed.

"Keep him here," Raiden spoke as the kombatants were freeing themselves from the ice. "We must go to the Sky Temple before it is too late. There, we will find Quan Chi and force him to release Kuai Liang from his control."

"Right then," Bi-Han growled, scraping off the shards of ice from his shoulder as his anger bled through his face. "Let's get this son-of-a-bitch."


	22. Once More, Into the Storm

_**I'll follow you down to the eye of the storm;** _

_**Don't worry I'll keep you warm.** _

_**I'll follow you down,** _

_**While we are passing through space;** _

_**I don't care if we fall from grace;** _

_**I'll follow you down...** _

_**-** _ **Shinedown, "I'll Follow You"**

* * *

The sky was bleeding.

When the Earthrealm kombatants and the assembled Elder Gods stood outside the Sky Temple, Hanzo tilted his head backward to take in the sight of the darkened sky, which was now clouded with a blood-red color. Around them, the falling rain was tinted red as well, due to the clouds filtering the sunlight to cast a red glow on the temple. Hanzo had to tear his gaze away from the horrific sight as he squinted through the heavy downpour. 

In the warriors’ way to reach the Jinsei Chamber were the faces of the warriors that had been abducted and killed under Quan Chi’s orders. Their faces were blank and devoid of emotion as they stared blankly at the kombatants, standing in lines to serve as a wall of defense. It was sickening to see what had become of the people that they used to know, but now, there was no other course of action.

With no time to waste, Hanzo followed the others as they were forced to cut down their former teammates and allies. Hanzo swallowed back the guilt that rose in him - he knew that the undead stood no chance against the skill of the Earthrealm warriors. However, his guilt was subdued with the understanding that they would find their peace in the afterlife, once they were freed from their undead husks.

Once the undead had been cleared from the Sky Temple, Hanzo followed after the warriors into the temple, kicking down the door as they rushed immediately to the Jinsei Chamber.

Upon entering the room, the group was forced to disperse as a particularly large bug was sent flying in their direction. With a wave of her sharp-edged fans, Kitana easily dispatched the insect, leaving the Earthrealmers free to enter the room.

Quan Chi was laughing maniacally before the Jinsei, which was now glowing red. Inside the energy of the Jinsei, the amulet was suspended midair, feeding the dark destructive energy into Earthrealm's life force. 

"You are too late, Liu Kang. It has already begun!" the Netherrealm sorcerer exclaimed, turning around to face the challengers standing before him.

Sonya led the Special Forces kombatants into the fight against D'Vorah, easily having the upper hand with their numbers. This left Bi-Han to charge at Quan Chi with Tomas and Hanzo on the vengeful older brother's heels. 

The trio backed Quan Chi into a corner, dodging the hurled projectiles. Bi-Han was ferocious, channeling his rage into the fight as Saibot joined the fight, turning the three-against-one fight into a four-versus-one. It took every bone in Hanzo's body to not kill the sorcerer - regretfully, they needed him alive. The thought of restoring Kuai was the only thing preventing Hanzo from dealing Quan Chi a killing blow.

Sensing his defeat, Quan Chi sent them sprawling to the ground with a particularly strong blast of energy - the coward turned his back to the kombatants, creating another portal with a wave of his hand. Quan Chi moved toward the glowing green portal, growling with irritation at the understanding that he had to retreat.

"No, you fucking don't!" Bi-Han shouted above the sounds of fighting, drowning out the background noise.

The shadow manipulator gestured with his hands to Quan Chi - Saibot followed Bi-Han's unspoken order, sliding across the ground effortlessly until the shadow clone reached Quan Chi. Its dark, inky arms wrapped around the sorcerer's legs, restraining Quan Chi from moving any further. The sorcerer cursed, struggling to throw off Saibot as Hanzo recovered. The Shirai Ryu unhooked the kunai from his belt, wrapping the far end of the chain around his hand and wrist.

The sounds of the chain links clinking against each other made Quan Chi freeze. Hanzo threw the kunai's head, driving it with as much force as he could muster into the sorcerer's right shoulder - far away from any vital organs. There was a satisfying spray of blood that stained the rock walls of the Jinsei Chamber as Quan Chi fell to his knees, staring down at the protruding weapon in shock and horror.

**"GET OVER HERE!"**

Quan Chi was reeled in, the portal disappearing along with the Netherrealm sorcerer's hope for escape. He was dragged across the floor roughly until he was brought to the feet of Bi-Han, Tomas, and Hanzo. Understanding that victory was impossible, Quan Chi chuckled nervously, raising his hands in a surrendering motion as he wilted under the glares of his captors. "Now," the sorcerer began with a stutter, "there's no need for... extreme measures to be taken here."

Suddenly, before either Hanzo or Bi-Han could do anything, Tomas reeled his boot back and drove it into Quan Chi's face - the Netherrealm necromancer's head snapped back from the force as he shouted in pain, his hands flying to his nose immediately. 

"What?" Tomas asked under the scrutinizing gazes of the two older men. "Don't lie; you wanted to do that, too."

Quan Chi was dragged across the floor by Bi-Han, who held the sorcerer by the chest plate as he brought Quan Chi to the center of the room. Bi-Han forced Quan Chi onto his knees next to the prone form of D'Vorah, who was lying on the ground, unconscious. 

"Let it be known," Bi-Han hissed, raising his finger in front of Quan Chi's face threateningly, "that if you weren't needed for my brother’s restoration, you would be _dead."_

Quan Chi flinched from Bi-Han, finally taking in the cold glares he received from the Lin Kuei and the hateful look he got from Hanzo. The Shirai Ryu turned from the Netherrealm sorcerer, turning toward the Jinsei where the Elder Gods were. They hovered in the air, chanting an incantation in a language that Hanzo didn't understand. Slowly, the amulet was extracted from the chamber as the red dark energy was also extracted from the Jinsei. Slowly, the red energy was encapsulated within the amulet once again as the Jinsei returned to its normal blue hue. The Elder Gods returned to the floor, standing on solid ground once more.

Liu Kang bent over to pick up the amulet, which had clattered onto the floor. “It is a good thing that Shinnok was not the one to corrupt the Jinsei; Quan Chi was not as well-versed in the power of the amulet, making it easier to remove the darkness.”

“Who the hell is Shinnok?” Johnny piped up, sharing a confused look with Stryker and Kabal.

“A story for another day,” Kung Lao spoke in a pleasant tone, sharing a knowing smile with the other Elder Gods. “Right now, we have an important task at hand. Don't we, Quan Chi?”

The white-faced sorcerer turned impossibly pale as the kombatants all rotated their heads to look down at him with looks filled with hatred.

Quan Chi gulped audibly, his bound hands moving lower to protect his crotch in memory of what Sonya had done to him.

* * *

Hanzo stood by Kuai’s side, next to the bed. He was serving to both comfort Kuai whilst still acting as a guard to prevent the cryomancer from escaping.

Bi-Han and Tomas were also there as well, standing over Kuai as they looked down at him with anxious looks. “You’re going to be okay, Kuai,” Tomas reassured his friend. “Quan Chi will reverse the effects of his magic, and we can go back to living life normally. Well, just as normal as it can be for us.”

“Mother would be so _proud,”_ Kuai sneered, directing his insult at Bi-Han. With his mask gone, the younger brother’s face conveyed even more emotion, clearly displaying the hatred on his face. The cryomancer struggled against the restraints that were trying his arms down to the railings of the stretcher. The cuffs were cutting off the cryomancer’s ability to use his powers, leaving him at the mercy of his captors. The cruel tone to the cryomancer's voice deeply unsettled Hanzo - he had no idea that Kuai's voice could even adopt that tone. 

Bi-Han ignored the pointed insult, turning away for a moment. “No, she wouldn't,” he responded in a clipped manner, eyes downcast with shame. “I promised her that I would protect you - I couldn't do it in the past, but I can do it now, Kuai. I'm never turning my back on you ever again.”

Kuai huffed at the lack of provocative anger from Bi-Han, turning toward Hanzo with those blank glowing white eyes. “Hideo, Aiya, and Harumi would be disappointed in you. I can't imagine their embarrassment, seeing how you carry on in their memory. You bring shame to the Shirai Ryu name!”

Hanzo had to resist the urge to flinch from Kuai’s hard-hitting jab, adopting Bi-Han’s method of being truthful. “They would be,” Hanzo agreed. “I turned my back on my family in my quest for revenge - like Bi-Han, I don't intend to make the same mistake twice.”

The cryomancer scoffed, resting his head against the pillow as he stared up at the ceiling. _“Promises._ What a fucking joke - they’re so easily given and never returned. If I'm restored to my human form, I'll promise _you_ one thing; I'm **never** forgiving what you've done.”

“Buddy,” Tomas sighed, resting his hand on Kuai’s shoulder in a move that shocked the other three men, _“everyone_ and their left nut know that you can't keep that promise. You’re like - the most forgiving person I've met, and that’s saying something. Just shut up and let the nice nurse give you the anesthetic so that we can get this over and done with. I'm not gonna lie - dark and edgy is **_not_** your look, man.”

“You... You goddamn idiot!” Kuai snapped as he struggled furiously against his restraints. As the cryomancer shouted insults at the enenra (who was trying to stifle his giggles), Hanzo stepped aside for the nurse to administer the anesthetic into the IV leading into Kuai’s forearm. With the anesthetic injected into the cryomancer, the three friends watched as Kuai’s voice started to falter. His head bobbed up and down in an attempt to fight off the drowsiness - finally, he succumbed to the anesthetic, his head falling against the pillow as his eyelids closed.

“Wow, that’s funny,” Tomas spoke in the silence, grinning stupidly, “He calls me an idiot every day!”

Bi-Han huffed amusedly, thankful for Tomas’s act to lessen the tension in the room. “You idiot,” the older brother scolded in a protective manner, crossing his arms. “How many times do I have to remind you? Don't poke a bear!”

“Psh,” Tomas waved dismissively as Quan Chi was escorted by the Special Forces into the medical bay. “Kuai is _not_ a bear. A teddy bear? Maybe. But one of those ferocious bears? _Hell, n_ _o.”_

Quan Chi was shoved forward as a multitude of weapons were aimed in his direction. It hadn't taken long for Sonya to pressure Quan Chi to agree to restore Kuai - perhaps _bully_ would have been a better term. All it had taken was the threat to pulverize Quan Chi’s balls for the sorcerer to submit to their demands. 

Sonya uncuffed him, baring her teeth in a hostile smile. “If you try to run, you can kiss your manhood _goodbye.”_

Quan Chi quickly turned to face Kuai, who was lying unconscious on the medical bed. He waves his hands and spoke in a comically rushed way, hoping to escape the Earthrealmers’ wrath. The Elder Gods stood in the background, surveying the scene with a careful eye.

A brilliant light engulfed the cryomancer’s body before Quan Chi stopped speaking. Everyone held their breath, waiting as the light died out.

Hanzo let out the breath he had been holding in his chest. Kuai’s skin was no longer marred by the horrific glowing veins - he looked the same as he had before he had died in the Soul Chamber. While the cryomancer had yet to open his eyes and awaken from his drug-induced slumber, Hanzo knew that those familiar warm brown orbs were resting under the shut eyelids.

Bi-Han immediately rushed to Kuai’s side, pulling up a chair beside his younger brother’s head. He sat down quickly, letting out a relieved exhale as he rested his forehead against Kuai’s forearm. 

As Kabal re-secured the cuffs on Quan Chi, the Special Forces smiled happily at the sight of the heartfelt family reunion. From the doorway, the Kombat Kids were peeking in to see what had happened. Satoshi rushed into the medical bay, joining his father's side. His wide eyes were fixated on Kuai. “Is he going to be okay?” the young man asked Hanzo as Quan Chi was escorted back to the prisons by the Special Forces kombatants. 

For the first time since Kuai had fallen off the cliff, Hanzo let out a laugh, reveling in the feeling of relief and joy that washed over him. “Yes,” the Shirai Ryu spoke, pulling his son into an embrace. “He’s going to be fine. We all will be, now.”

* * *

The beeping of the electrocardiogram was the sound that Kuai awoke to.

The cryomancer blinked multiple times, frowning at the extreme levels of drowsiness that he was trying to fight off. Eventually, the fog of sleep was dispelled, and Kuai found himself nearly restored back to his fully normal state of awareness. Taking this as a sign of encouragement, Kuai shifted in the bed that he was lying in, using his arms to help push him up into a sitting position with his back supported by the back of the bed.

Kuai groaned from the movement, raising a hand to his head. The cryomancer had a pounding headache that throbbed uncomfortably but not painfully. Using his powers to chill his head, Kuai took this moment to look around, trying to piece together where he was.

The Special Forces symbol on the walls offered immediate comfort for Kuai as he realized that he was in the medical bay. The usually-blinding lights on the ceiling had been dimmed, much to Kuai's relief. With the headache that the cryomancer was sporting, the thought of having to squint under the bright lights was an unwelcome thought. Now, as Kuai was starting to become more and more conscious, he realized that his throat was parched. He turned to the table at his bedside, trying to locate the possible presence of a glass of water.

"Kuai?"

At the sound of his name being uttered, Kuai turned to the entrance of the room where he could clearly see Bi-Han standing in the doorframe. His older brother's eyes were wide open as they absorbed the information that Kuai was now awake. Remembering the events that had transpired in Outworld, Kuai mustered a small smile in spite of his exhaustion. "Hi, Bi-Han."

For a moment, Bi-Han didn't move. He seemed to be conflicted over whether he should grab someone else to assess Kuai's current state or if he should rush to his younger brother's side. After deliberating this choice, Bi-Han finally walked over to Kuai's side, taking a seat in the empty chair. Kuai only then realized that Bi-Han held a glass of water in his hand, which he promptly offered to Kuai in a gentle manner. Kuai quickly took the offered glass, tilting it back as he drank the liquid greedily to quench his thirst. Already, he could feel his headache subsiding.

Bi-Han didn't say anything - he just stared awkwardly at Kuai until the cryomancer was done with the drink. "How are you feeling?" Bi-Han asked quietly, leaning forward in his chair as he removed the empty glass from his younger brother's hands.

"Tired," Kuai responded immediately, smiling softly at the playful eye-roll he received in response. Bi-Han reached a hand to ruffle Kuai's hair - a gesture that Kuai remembered from his early childhood years. "I know that much, _dummy_ ," Bi-Han huffed, the corners of his mouth quirking upward. "It's all that you used to complain about. That, and being cold."

The two brothers shared a laugh as they remembered their early days in the Lin Kuei. During training sessions, a much younger Kuai Liang would complain about the freezing temperatures and the exhaustion that he felt from the aftermath of their exercises. It didn't seem funny to Kuai at the time, but now that they were reminiscing on the past, Kuai found it easier to laugh at himself. "How are you holding up?" Bi-Han asked, bringing Kuai out of his reverie. "What do you remember?"

Kuai's smile slowly melted away. Bi-Han watched with alarm as the cryomancer's face crumbled before Kuai raised his hands to cover his face. His shoulders shook with tremors as the silent sobs racked his body - all of the memories of what he had done for Quan Chi flooded over him in a rush.

"I'm going to kill him," Bi-Han promised, a steel tone of anger to his voice as he moved forward to pull Kuai into a hug. "If Hanzo doesn't get to him first, I'll be right there to finish the job - I swear to the Elder Gods that he will end up dead."

"It's not him," Kuai rasped, rubbing furiously at his eyes to stem the flow of tears. "All the people I killed - for _him_ \- gods, there were so many."

"Don't go there," Bi-Han snapped, making Kuai's head snap up to look at his older brother. "There was nothing that you could have done, Kuai. Everything that you did was Quan Chi's fault - there was no way that you could have resisted against him."

Kuai chuckled brokenly, shaking his head fervently. "It may have been Quan Chi who called the shots, but it was _my_ hands that dealt the final blow, Bi-Han. How do I go back to the Lin Kuei after what happened? How do I repent for the fallen Shirai Ryu and Special Forces? I am _just_ as responsible for their deaths as much as Quan Chi." 

Bi-Han seized Kuai by the shoulders, gripping tightly. "Listen to me, Kuai. Quan Chi stripped away your free will and independence. No one blames you for what happened, okay? We all know that you had no control over your own actions. We're all just happy and relieved to have you back. So stop with this martyr act and pull yourself together, alright?"

It was here that Bi-Han's earnest, comforting eyes narrowed slightly, as though he was struck with a sudden realization. Kuai frowned at the sudden change in his older brother's behavior before Bi-Han punched Kuai firmly on the upper arm. The strike elicited a shout of pain and indignation from the cryomancer, who gave Bi-Han a look that was akin to a kicked puppy. "Whyy~y?"

"Next time, don't fake. Your. Death. You. Insufferable. Child!" Bi-Han enunciated each of his words with another punch, leaving Kuai to raise his arms as a shield. "I'll admit, the first time on the cliff was entirely my fault - but when we were in Outworld, you should have told us that you were alive, you dumbass!"

"Quit - OW! - Hey, stop!" Kuai protested, laughing despite himself. Having Bi-Han back to his human form was one reason for happiness, but now that his older brother truly cared about Kuai, the cryomancer couldn't help but feel overwhelming joy. For so long, Kuai had been pained by Bi-Han's apathy when they were in the Lin Kuei. Kuai didn't just have Bi-Han restored, he also had his older brother back.

Eventually, Bi-Han ceased in his assault, crossing his arms grumpily. "Only you would die _twice_ in one lifetime."

"... I _am_ sorry," Kuai spoke after a lull in the conversation. The cryomancer had the decency to look sheepish as he lifted a hand to scratch the back of his neck. "I thought that you would be happier living your life without me. It was only when Kenshi revealed how miserable you were that I wanted to reach out to you, but then the chance slipped through my fingers."

With a sigh, Bi-Han leaned back in his seat. "I know, Kuai. We all made mistakes - my errors were more severe, but now that we're at this point, we can let go of the past."

Kuai worried his lower lip with his teeth, feeling guilt rise up in his chest once again. "I'm sorry, Bi-Han."

"So am I," the older brother responded with a genuine lilt to his voice, meeting Kuai's eyes. "And stop apologizing for everything - it's completely unnecessary."

"Right; sorr-" Kuai paused, realizing that he was about to repeat the one word that he was not supposed to say. Bi-Han huffed amusedly, the corner of his mouth pulling upward in a small smile before it disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared. 

"Where is everyone?" Kuai asked, looking around at their surroundings and noting the lack of the normal, bustling activity that was custom of the Special Forces base. With the lack of the droning background noise of footsteps and barking orders in the background from the hallways, the medical bay seemed too quiet in an eerie way. 

"You couldn't have chosen a worse time to wake up," Bi-Han chuckled slightly, pulling out his phone from his pocket. "It's two in the morning - everyone's asleep."

Kuai's eyes widened, realizing that Bi-Han had chosen to stay up for the entire time. "You should sleep," the cryomancer urged, pushing gently on Bi-Han's forearm. "Now that I'm fine, you don't have to worry about me. Go to your room and sleep, Bi-Han."

At the mention of sleep, Bi-Han raised a hand to cover his mouth as he yawned. He stood up from the chair to stretch, sighing in relief as he felt more at ease. "Alright," Bi-Han finally agreed, taking a moment to fix a scrutinizing look down at Kuai. "You had better not leave this bed - I know all about your little trips to the kitchens in the middle of the night with Tomas. If you get hungry, just call for a nurse. Understand?"

Kuai let out a soft chuckle, the corners of his eyes crinkling from the wide smile that split his face. "You know that I am an adult, right? I don't have to listen to your demands if I don't want to."

"I'll start treating you like an adult when you start acting like one," Bi-Han deadpanned, but Kuai could clearly make out the fond glint behind his older brother's eyes as he walked to the doors of the medical bay. 

"Never!" Kuai crowed out as Bi-Han was leaving. Before the door closed behind him, Bi-Han turned to give a long-suffering look through the window. He made a gesture with his hand, pointing to his eyes before pointing directly at Kuai. The cryomancer stuck his tongue out in childish retaliation, making Bi-Han facepalm himself from the other side of the door before he left. The act had left Kuai in hysterics as the cryomancer took a moment to revel in the fact that he had a second chance.

* * *

Hanzo thought that - for once - he'd be able to sleep peacefully.

Unfortunately, he was _completely_ wrong in that regard.

As the sun started to peek over the horizon, Hanzo's phone on the nightstand started to blare in an alarm that was meant to alert only the kombatants and not the entire Special Forces base. Hanzo blearily raised his head from his pillow, groaning as he deactivated the alarm. The Shirai Ryu got out of bed as quickly as he could, getting dressed and cleaning up his appearance as best he could before he pushed open the door.

The phone notification had alerted them to meet Sonya in the medical bay. Hanzo started to walk faster when he realized that Kuai was the only person who had been in the medical bay the previous night - his mind was whirling, thinking about what could have happened in the course of a single night. As the worst possible thoughts swam in his head, Hanzo joined the already-assembled Special Forces in the medical bay, where they were standing crowded around Kuai's bed.

Most of the Special Forces kombatants were standing in their nightwear, save for Sonya, who had called the alert. Hanzo was thankful that he had been able to dress into his clothes before exiting his bedroom - the sight of a sleepy Johnny Cage leaning on Stryker's shoulder with both men in their pajamas was a hilarious sight.

Tomas was shortly behind Hanzo, also dressed in comfortable clothing. The enenra's usually kept silver hair was sticking up in all sorts of places, putting his appearance in a state between "horrifying" and "amusing." Tomas dragged himself over to the group, crossing his arms grumpily. "That goddamn alarm made me fall out of my bed."

Hanzo winced sympathetically as Bi-Han was the last to enter the room. The elder brother had dark circles under his eyes, demonstrating a clear lack of sleep. He managed to pull himself over to a chair, sitting down in the seat as Sonya turned to address the group.

"There's a problem -"

"Frosty's GONE!" Johnny exclaimed, throwing his arms up in the air with a surprising burst of energy. The former actor dragged a hand down his face while he groaned in exasperation and irritation. "He just left in the middle of the fucking night, without a goddamn word, and just left a super cryptic note on the bed."

"Ahem," Sonya cleared her throat to silence Johnny with narrowed eyes. He gave a sheepish grin, bowing his head as Kenshi snorted with amusement. With Johnny silenced, Sonya began to speak again. 

"Johnny's right," she spoke tiredly, slightly rubbing her eyes. "The note just read, "You know where to find me." I'm planning on sending out search teams to see if we can find him before he gets out of range -"

 **"That little shit,"** Bi-Han spoke slowly with understanding as his eyes widened.

Sonya threw her arms up in the air. "How many FUCKING TIMES is someone going to interrupt me?!"

"You don't have to send anyone," Bi-Han sighed in frustration as he stood up from his chair. Without another word, the older brother walked out of the room, leaving the others behind. After sharing puzzled looks, the kombatants followed after Bi-Han through the hallways where the soldiers were starting to wake up. Bi-Han led them directly past Sonya's office and right into the doorway of the kitchens, slamming the doors open.

"Get the FUCK back to the medical bay. NOW," Bi-Han snapped.

The kombatants waited as Bi-Han stormed further into the kitchen so that they could gain a better look. Hanzo's eyes widened as he took in the state of the kitchen - nearly all of the pots and pans had been removed from their spots in the cabinets and were being put to good use. The bowls covered the expanse of the countertops - there were even bowls full of batter in the sink. The only spot that didn't hold bowls was the dining table, where three sheets worth of _cookies_ were cooling on the table, which had been covered with plastic wrap. 

_A **lot** of plastic wrap._

"Um..." Kuai spoke slowly, blinking at Bi-Han, who was gaping as he took in the chaotic scene. The cryomancer held yet another mixing bowl in his arm, tucked into his elbow. He held a wooden mixing spoon in the other hand, which completely stilled in the motion of stirring the contents together. Kuai took a moment to look behind Bi-Han to see the other kombatants in their pajamas before he turned back to Bi-Han.

"I'm kind of... busy... right now," Kuai spoke lamely.

"How... How much did you make?" Tomas asked incredulously as he pushed through the group to join Bi-Han deeper in the kitchen. The enenra had to jump over a large bowl that was sitting on the floor.

"I... _kind of_ went overboard," Kuai admitted slowly. His head slowly turned around to take in the multitude of bowls that were filled with batter, ready to be put into the oven. "I just kind of... got bored. And then, I completely forget to take inventory when I was cracking the eggs. I just kept doing the same routine over and over again - from there, I just forgot to see how much I was making."

Bi-Han stared at Kuai with eyes as wide as dinner plates. The sight brought a bubble of laughter to rise up in Hanzo's throat, but the Shirai Ryu forced himself into silence. The older brother was looking at the chagrined face of his younger brother with a look that combined shock and horror into one. Bi-Han seemed to be taking in Kuai from a new light, it seemed.

"Um..." Kuai repeated again, unsure of what to say. He still had the same hesitant look on his face - of a deer caught in headlights - as he shifted on his feet uncomfortably. "Good... morning? Time flies by quickly, doesn't it?" He chuckled nervously at the end of his question, his eyes darting back-and-forth between the Special Forces and Bi-Han and Tomas.

"You... you shouldn't even be out of the medical bay right now!" Bi-Han exclaimed as this sudden realization shook him from his stupor. He stalked over to Kuai, almost tripping over yet another full bowl to latch onto the cryomancer's wrist as he started to pull Kuai out of the room.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Kuai protested as he easily wrenched his wrist out of Bi-Han's grip, taking extra care to ensure that the batter did not spill from the bowl he held in the crook of his elbow. "I'm all healed up, okay? After you left, Liu Kang visited me in the medical bay. We took a short trip to the Jinsei and I got healed again. I wasn't feeling tired, so I decided to come down here. And, you know what? You're right. I _definitely_ went overboard, but I feel _much_ better now."

From the back of the group, there was a wounded noise. The crowd parted to make room for Johnny, who was pouting with his arms crossed. "You started baking without me? How could you, man? I thought we were Baking Bros!"

"You laughed at me for baking when you first found out, Johnny," Kuai sighed, rolling his eyes in a dismissive manner. "Besides, it was only one time - you just iced the cupcakes! That hardly counts as baking, to begin with!"

Kenshi snorted with amusement. "You sound like a person trying to justify breaking up with their partner."

Kuai's face morphed from exasperation at Johnny to mortification from Kenshi's comment. "I didn't mean to make it sound like _that!"_

"Enough!" Sonya's clear and demanding voice cut through the room, silencing everyone. "Kuai has been healed from the Jinsei, so he doesn't have to stay confined to the medical bay. From here on out, he's able to take care of himself."

Kuai shot a quick, snide, and victorious smirk at Bi-Han, who narrowed his eyes in response.

"You," Sonya spoke in a clipped manner, pointing directly at Kuai who startled in surprise, "get all of this cleaned up. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to SLEEP."

With that, the irritated general spun on her heel and left the kitchen. 

"Hey, save some for me!" Stryker called out as he left after Sonya with Kabal to head to the dorms. Jax nodded awkwardly, raising a metal hand in farewell as he slowly walked back to follow after the two friends. "It's good to have you back, man."

Kuai beamed, reducing Jax's nervousness. The cryomancer recognized that the military man was probably still feeling the regret of indirectly causing Kuai's death - Kuai couldn't find it within himself to blame anyone for what had happened. After all, it had just been a series of unfortunate circumstances. After thanking Jax for the kind words, the man seemed to lose some of the tension in his shoulders as he turned to leave.

Now, Kuai was standing behind the countertops with Bi-Han right next to him. Tomas had snatched a cookie from the table and was munching away happily. Hanzo stood in the doorway of the kitchen with Kenshi standing slightly in front of him, while Johnny was staring at Kuai indignantly from across the counter, arguing with the cryomancer.

"Oh, I see," Johnny snapped crossly, folding his arms. "You'd rather bake cookies with your bestie, Tomas. Have you been hosting baking sessions with Kenshi? Huh?"

"Don't be fucking ridiculous," Kuai snapped as he resumed stirring the contents of the bowl in his arms. "Tomas has no fucking taste at all - he'd eat _garbage_ if he had to. Furthermore, Kenshi is blind. He'd be a detriment - no offense, Kenshi."

"Wow," the blind swordsman spoke dryly, although Hanzo could hear him trying to stifle the laughter in his voice, "I feel attacked."

"ROOTH!" Tomas shouted from the table. Hanzo thought that the enenra had meant to say, "rude," but with the sugar cookies in his mouth, his speech was impaired significantly.

"That's... actually a decent excuse," Johnny confessed after mulling over Kuai's words. The cryomancer rolled his eyes as he sighed, setting the bowl down onto the counter before moving to retrieve a metal baking tray from the preheated oven. 

"I'm more insulted by the fact that you started baking for our kids before you baked for us," Kenshi spoke in a nonchalant manner, only adding more fuel to the fire. "Those cupcakes were the first thing that we got from you."

"Cupcakes?" Bi-Han frowned in recognition and remembrance as he thought back to the day that the cupcakes had appeared in the Special Forces kitchen. He whirled around to look as Kuai scooped precise spoonfuls and spaced them on the sheet. "That was you?!"

"Why are you shouting?" Kuai retorted back, transporting the full sheet to the oven as he dropped the trays on the racks roughly. The door was slammed shut firmly as Kuai turned to face the entire audience he was entertaining at the moment. "Look, Bi-Han. Yes; I bake in my own free time. I learned to cook for Satoshi so that he could eat healthily. And yes; I stress-bake from time to time. Tomas! Stop shoving your face with cookies. They're not even iced, you goddamn _heathen."_

"Mrh...mmh...trrgh," Tomas spoke through his full mouth in protest.

Hanzo didn't even attempt to try and decipher what the enenra had said.

"Kenshi, don't think that I don't know what you're doing," Kuai warned, shifting his attention to the smug blind swordsman who was leaning against the wall. "Stop playing with Johnny's mind - he doesn't have much of one, to begin with, you asshole. Johnny, I would have asked you to join me, but I started at four in the morning. I made a logical decision using a _magical_ thing called **_common sense_** and thought that you wouldn't have wanted to be woken up that early. So stop biting at my ass, you crybaby bitch."

"... You don't have to be so passive-aggressive about it," Johnny spoke sullenly.

Kenshi cackled, moving through the kitchen to join Kuai as the telepath pulled the cryomancer into a side-hug. "In what world is Kuai not passive-aggressive, Johnny? That's what he adds to our group dynamic."

"Yeah," the former actor agreed reluctantly before a malicious grin crossed his face. "That, and being the only virgin bean."

Kuai hurled a clean wooden spoon at Johnny like it was a throwing knife - Johnny barely dodged it, leaning to the side as the wood made contact with the opposite wall. Tomas huffed with amusement as he went to grab a glass of water. "Yeah, that's not news at all," Tomas snorted, dodging Kuai's swipe as Kenshi continued to hold the cryomancer into a side hug. 

"I should have just stayed dead," Kuai grumbled, earning snorts from the younger men and horrified looks from Bi-Han and Hanzo. 

"Aw, don't say things like that," Kenshi chastised in a faux parental voice, gently stroking Kuai's hair in a mocking way. Kuai managed to free an arm as he held his palm out toward the blind swordsman, the temperature dropping as the hand glowed blue. 

"Get. Off. Of. Me," Kuai growled.

"Come on," Kenshi grinned maniacally. "Do it then; try me, bitch."

"... Goddamn it," Kuai sighed, lowering his hand as he and Johnny shared a knowing look. The two of them knew that nearly nothing scared Kenshi - the man had no self-preservation instinct whatsoever. 

However, the same could be said of Kuai, as well.

"I'm so surprised, and yet, I'm not," Tomas continued, biting into a chocolate chip cookie that fell apart easily. The enenra frowned at the cookie in his hand before he looked up to Kuai with a cocked eyebrow. "Really, Kuai? Chewy?!"

"If you want crunchy, you make them yourself," Kuai retorted, throwing Kenshi off of him entirely. "The chewy cookies are the best - with the melted chocolate inside, the cookie needs to be soft and easy to bite into."

"Hell, no!" Tomas shouted indignantly simultaneously with Johnny. "Who the hell are you kidding?" Johnny scoffed as a smirk crossed over his face. "Who the hell eats chocolate chip cookies without the crumbs to fall down your face?"

"And what about when you dip it into milk?" Tomas pointed out, bringing blissful looks to his and Johnny's faces.

"I'm more of a chewy person," Kenshi admitted, earning outraged looks from the Crunchy Crew. "You take that back," Johnny spoke lowly, pointing his finger at Kenshi. "You take that back right now, or we're not friends anymore."

"You know what?" Bi-Han sighed, throwing his hands up in the air, "I'm done. You all have managed to wreck my ability to _think_ \- congratulations. I swear to the Elder Gods, for every second I listen to you idiots drone on, my IQ lowers by another full point. Have fun... or whatever."

With that, the older brother retreated from the kitchen.

Hanzo shifted off the wall to leave as well, agreeing wholeheartedly with Bi-Han's assessment. However, just as he was about to turn and exit the kitchen, Kenshi called out to him.

"What about you, Hanzo? Do you like your chocolate chip cookies hard or soft?"

Everyone froze at Kenshi's daring question as the telepath grinned mischievously. "There's a tie in this argument, and you can be the tie-breaker. So, what do you prefer?"

Hanzo wanted to say something snarky before turning around to leave, but the Shirai Ryu decided to humor Kenshi's odd and unexpected inquiry. "I don't have a preference," Hanzo spoke shortly before he tried to leave again.

However, this was obviously the wrong thing to say, as Johnny and Tomas started to protest. Their clamoring forced Hanzo to cease in his steps once again as he grit his teeth. "Guys," Kuai sighed, picking up on Hanzo's discomfort at the moment. The cryomancer moved forward to silence his companions but was consequently held back by Kenshi, who had lifted a quick and darting arm to latch onto Kuai's upper arm, holding him back. At Kuai's incredulous look, Kenshi only smirked mysteriously before shaking his head.

Kuai's breath hitched worriedly, knowing that even as a human, Hanzo always had a short temper. Kuai could only hold his breath in anticipation as he watched what seemed to be an inevitable disaster unfolding before his very eyes. Both Kenshi and Kuai looked on, one with glee and the other with dread, as Hanzo stormed past Tomas and Johnny to the table.

The cryomancer's eyes widened as Hanzo snatched one of the cooling chocolate chip cookies from the plastic wrap and bit cleanly into it. The sudden action had sent Tomas and Johnny into a shocking state of silence as the remaining four observers paused.

Kuai was already panicking. For a long time, since first introducing his cooking to Satoshi, the cryomancer wondered if the cookie was good enough for Hanzo's standards. _Did I use enough sugar? Were there too many chocolate chips? Did Hanzo even like sweet things?_

After what felt like minutes to Kuai, Hanzo rolled his eyes. "These are good," the Shirai Ryu replied in a tired voice, completely done with the childish antics of his teammates. "Am I allowed to leave now, or am I needed for more unnecessary taste testing?"

"Actually!" Kenshi's obnoxiously cheerful voice cut through before anyone else could get a word in, leaving Kuai to cringe internally at what the telepath was about to say. "I think that the three of us have overstayed our welcome," Kenshi continued, gesturing to Johnny and Tomas, who had similar looks of confusion at the blind swordsman's words. "We'll leave the kitchen and let Kuai continue to... stress bake... with more peaceful company."

"... What?!" Kuai asked, blanching at the suggestion. The last thing that Kuai wanted was to have to socialize with another person. Belatedly, Kuai realized that he had spoken aloud and not in his mind as he had intended to. Upon realizing his mistake, Kuai could feel his cheeks flush with embarrassment and mortification as Kenshi slipped around the counter, dragging the protesting Johnny and indignant Tomas out of the kitchen.

"Have fun catching up, you two~oo!" Kenshi called out as the doors slammed shut of their own accord - the telekinetic had shut the doors behind him, leaving the two remaining warriors behind in the kitchen. There was a prolonged silence as both Kuai and Hanzo stared at the door where the other idiots had disappeared.

The sound of Kuai's hand making contact with his own forehead in a facepalm was the only sound in the quiet room.


	23. What Was Lost is Found Again

_**Wait...** _

_**I think we're onto something;** _

_**We can't run from fate,** _

_**But we can let it take us down.** _

_**Down this road,** _

_**Where all our colors run together;** _

_**Let's take the worst and make it better,** _

_**Let's take this mess and make a home.** _

_**I know it gets hard for you to stay,** _

_**But do you really want to throw it all away?**_

**\- All Time Low, "Cinderblock Garden"**

* * *

Hanzo stared in confusion at the door of the kitchen, feeling a building headache rise as he tried to piece together what the hell had just happened.

One part of the Shirai Ryu warrior wanted desperately to leave (and possibly run into Kenshi, for a "little chat"), but Hanzo refrained from doing so. Some treacherous part of his mind had convinced him to take Kenshi's suggestion of staying to catch up with Kuai. 

With this ongoing dilemma running through Hanzo's mind, Kuai had recovered from the scene of his friends leaving. The cryomancer simply huffed in a mix of irritation and amusement - the sound made Hanzo turn around to watch as Kuai resumed his activities, trying to clean up the kitchen as best as he could in its chaotic state.

Hanzo realized with a jolt that Kuai had obtained his clothes from his old room, which had yet to be cleared of his belongings. It seemed that - after leaving the medical bay in the night - Kuai had traded the hospital gown he was wearing for the more comfortable clothing that had been collecting dust in the drawers of his old room. As Kuai took a moment to step around the counter, Hanzo could clearly see that the other man was dressed in a faded blue shirt that now seemed to be a pale bright blue color, with dark grey sweatpants.

For the entire duration of Hanzo's assessment, Kuai seemed completely oblivious to Hanzo's staring. The cryomancer instead busied himself with taking the already-made dough and transporting them from the bowls to bags, muttering under his breath about how he could save them for later in the freezer.

Kuai transported the empty bowls to the sink, turning on the water to start washing the batter off of the edges when he finally spoke to address Hanzo for the first time that day, "You can leave, you know. You don't have to stay here." His voice sounded uncertain and hesitant, as though he thought that Hanzo would leave immediately.

"I think that I will stay here for a while," Hanzo decided, letting a small smile appear on his face as he realized how much quieter it was in the room. "Besides, with everyone _out_ of the kitchen, it would make more sense to stay here."

Kuai sighed, shutting the water off as he turned to face Hanzo. There was a wry, twisted smile on the cryomancer's face that had Hanzo remembering the bright young boy that had stumbled across Shirai Ryu territory. "Kenshi has his moments," Kuai was saying as the smell of the cookies in the oven started to rise in the air, "He either has words of wisdom to offer you, but he also has his "Johnny Cage" moments as well."

Hanzo nodded slowly, finally making the decision to walk over to the countertops to join Kuai further in the kitchens. As he watched Kuai transport the bags from the counter to the freezer, Hanzo finally found the courage to speak to initiate the conversation himself. "After you were left alone with Satoshi, what happened?"

Kuai froze in his movements as he was about to clean up the last of the bags of dough. Hanzo silently cursed himself, realizing that his inquiry was too blunt. "You don't have to answer-"

"It's fine," Kuai interjected, shutting the freezer door with his foot. He paused for a brief moment before turning around, strolling through the kitchen until he was standing on the opposite side of the counter, leaning his forearms on the edge. "You probably have a lot of questions."

"Satoshi briefly explained how the two of you escaped from the territory and got to America, but I feel as though there were a lot of holes in his story," Hanzo explained, locking his eyes with the other man's warm brown orbs. 

Kuai chuckled lightly, bowing his head slightly as he studied his hands. "Well, he _was_ a young boy at the time," the cryomancer pointed out, tilting his head back up to give a shy, awkward smile. "After running away, we spent six years on the southern coast of Japan. With the lack of money, we resided in the slums - to support the two of us, I took mercenary bounties to slowly build-up enough money to fly to the United States. I knew that we'd be safer there, but Satoshi would also have a better chance to lead a better life there. When we found ourselves in America, I enrolled Satoshi in school, while I continued to play the role of a mercenary."

Hanzo hadn't realized that he had been leaning on his arms resting on the counter as Kuai was, fully engrossed in what the cryomancer was telling him.

"One night, Liu Kang just suddenly appears in my living room," Kuai continued, taking a moment to break off in amused chuckles. "He scared the shit out of me, with the way that he appeared out of thin air. He persuaded me to join the Earthrealmers in the tournament, and that's where I saw you and Bi-Han again."

"... It must have horrified you, seeing me as a shadow of my former self," Hanzo spoke bitterly, remembering all of his past transgressions.

"Horrified?" Kuai questioned, frowning at Hanzo's description. "No. More... shocked, than anything. A part of me was overjoyed that - maybe, you could be saved. But as time progressed, with your wrath blinding your ability to think straight, I didn't dare reach out to you. I lost hope. And then, when you _were_ restored to your human form..."

Kuai trailed off, staring down at his clasped hands as both he and Hanzo recalled the events leading up to the present day. The silence was solemn as they both reminisced on their mistakes and regrets.

"I... I don't blame you for anything," Kuai spoke quietly, turning to the side to look out of the window. "You were left in the dark, and there was no way that you could have known the truth. In hindsight, I'm willing to let go of the horrors of the past in their entirety. It seems so... trivial, don't you think? To hold on to the horrible memories of the past when none of it matters, now. I have Tomas back. I have my older brother back. And I have _you_ back," Kuai finished, turning away from the window to face Hanzo again.

The morning sun cast a golden glow on the cryomancer's face, making him seem almost angelic in appearance. Hanzo felt his breath catch in his throat, not fully understanding why he was reacting in this way. The Shirai Ryu equated it to Kuai's last words, confessing that he was glad to have Hanzo back with him. The morning glow made Kuai even more youthful in appearance, and when it caught his eyes at a certain angle, it changed the shade of brown from a deep chocolate brown to a milk honey tone. 

"... I wish that I could undo what I did," Hanzo spoke, finally finding the words as he shook himself out of his stupor. "I was so caught up in my own quest for vengeance that I didn't see how much I was hurting others." _How much I hurt **you.**_ It was left unspoken, but both of them clearly understood the meaning behind Hanzo's words.

Kuai's smile widened as he reached across the counter with his hand; Hanzo stilled as the cryomancer's hand grasped his own, intertwining their fingers together. Kuai's hand was cool to the touch, but not overly so. The others reported that Kuai gave off a natural chill, but with the hellfire that ran through Hanzo's veins, the cryomancer's hand was nearly a normal temperature. "I don't care about what you've done," Kuai spoke quietly, squeezing onto Hanzo's hand a little tighter as though to reassure him, "and I hope that you can forgive me for what I did as a revenant. I just want to have this second chance with you - to set things right again."

"... So do I," Hanzo replied. The response was short, but the meaning behind the statement was worth a thousand words.

When Kuai's eyes locked with Hanzo's again, the Shirai Ryu was taken aback when the cryomancer let out an undignified snort. "Sorry," Kuai chuckled, letting go of Hanzo's hand as he backed away. Hanzo felt disappointed for a brief second at the sudden loss of physical contact, but his mind was still preoccupied with figuring out what had sent Kuai into a state of hysterics. 

By now, the cryomancer was laughing full belly-laughs instead of his soft chuckles, leaning on the counter for support. "Oh, I'm so sorry," Kuai wheezed as he struggled to pull himself together. "It just seemed so ridiculous... I can't believe that I just realized it..."

"What?" Hanzo pressed, trying to obtain _some_ form of answer from the cryomancer.

"We're nearly the same age," Kuai pointed out as he straightened himself, a wide grin on his face. "You even _taught_ me when I was a kid. I don't know why it's so funny to me - it just seems ironic and hilarious to know that after all of these years, I'm almost as old as you are."

Hanzo's frown slackened as the realization hit him. "By the gods," he muttered, raising a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. His reaction only sent Kuai into another fit of hysterics, turning what had been uncomfortable silence into a more relaxing and comforting environment.

Then, there was a clear burning smell in the air.

Kuai's laughter died out immediately - just as quickly as someone snapping their fingers. His eyes widened with understanding as he whirled around, yanking the oven door open. 

Hanzo ran around the counter to stand next to the cryomancer, who was cursing loudly in both English and a multitude of other languages. The Shirai Ryu uttered a shout of alarm as Kuai stuck his hands out to grab the scalding metal baking tray - however, Kuai had added a layer of ice around his hands, grabbing onto the tray with ease as he transported it to the stone countertop, dropping it quickly as the ice melted.

The two men stared at the blackened treats.

"I can't believe it," Kuai spoke quietly in stunned belief. "I haven't burned anything in... longer than I can remember."

At that moment, Hanzo couldn't help himself; now, he was the one laughing from the ridiculousness of it all: the fact that his former pupil was now his age, the burning cookies resting on the tray, and Kuai's sorrowful expression as he stared at the burnt cookies.

Kuai frowned, crossing his arms as he turned to face Hanzo. "Well, I'm glad that one of us is able to laugh at this," he grumbled, and Hanzo immediately felt bad as his laughter stilled.

"I'm sorry," the Shirai Ryu spoke genuinely as he helped Kuai with the task of dumping the destroyed cookies in the nearby trash bin. "I've never seen someone so distraught over the fate of cookies, before." 

"Satoshi would laugh at my face whenever I messed something up in the kitchen," Kuai confessed, a rue smile over his face as he recognized the humor in the situation. "I wanted to make sure that we didn't order takeout every night, so I taught myself. It was... a _process,_ for sure."

With the last of the cookies thrown away, Kuai grabbed onto the cooler baking tray, intending to place it back in its spot on the rack inside the oven. However, Hanzo noted with concern that the linoleum floor under their feet was covered with water, which had melted from the ice that Kuai had summoned to protect his hands. Before Hanzo could say anything, he saw the heel of Kuai's sneaker twist on one of the more sleek parts of the floor - the cryomancer started to fall backward.

In a flash, Hanzo was able to get one of his arms under Kuai's back, supporting the cryomancer and preventing him from hitting his head on the edge of the granite countertop. Hanzo's other arm had reached around Kuai above his chest, gripping onto the cryomancer's forearm. In this awkward position, Hanzo could feel heat rising up in his cheeks as he realized how close he was to Kuai now. 

_What am I doing?_

Meanwhile, Kuai was completely oblivious to the freak-out session that was going on in Hanzo's mind. The cryomancer was dying of embarrassment on the inside as he finally propped himself up, stuttering half-formed apologies. Hanzo stepped back, making sure that Kuai was fine from the sudden fall before he spoke gruffly, chiding the cryomancer for his clumsiness, "You should be more careful."

Kuai snorted. "I tell myself that every day, but that doesn't help me. At least no one else saw that... Johnny or Tomas wouldn't let it go if either one of them caught me."

Hanzo nodded, clearing his throat quietly as he backed up, giving Kuai the room he needed to clean up. The Shirai Ryu didn't understand why he was behaving so awkwardly around Kuai - he _knew_ the cryomancer, didn't he? However, a more rational side of him reasoned that - no - he didn't _really_ know Kuai. In the years that Hanzo had been separated from the cryomancer, the young boy had grown into a completely different person. There was still that air of wisdom to him, but where Kuai had been overly mature as a child, he was more carefree as an adult. Perhaps it was because of the lack of self-indulgence that Kuai experienced as a child, and he was trying to enjoy himself now that he had the freedom to do so.

"I've told you about what happened to me," Kuai spoke from the table where he was currently sitting at. His voice served to pull Hanzo out of his thoughts, and the Shirai Ryu's head snapped to look over at the cryomancer. In the time that Hanzo had been wrapped up in his own thoughts, Kuai had boiled a pot of water and poured himself a cup of tea. Sitting at the table, Kuai had picked up a cookie and had already taken a bite from it. 

"What did you do after I fell off the cliff?" Kuai asked, tilting his head with curiousity.

Hanzo shifted, exhaling deeply as he walked over to take the seat opposite of Kuai at the table. "Everyone was distraught over your apparent death. Bi-Han and I were consumed with guilt as the others regarded us with distrust and hate. Satoshi and I... weren't on the best terms. In the aftermath of your fall off the cliff, Bi-Han and I reconciled. When you died in Outworld, it seemed to pull all of us together. Bi-Han and I weren't despised, and Tomas even reached out to me. We have an alliance between our clans, now. It was named after you."

Kuai's facial expression had turned solemn as he was told how his death had impacted his friends. "How is Satoshi?" the cryomancer asked, anxiousness flashing in his eyes. "If he is still cold toward you, I can talk to him -"

"We've already talked things through," Hanzo reassured Kuai, putting the other man at ease. "I'm sure that your clan will be happy to see you again. Tomas and Liu Kang found a new student - a female cryomancer who goes by the name of "Frost." A little warning - you may have your hands full with her."

Kuai's eyebrow raised in question. "Is she as bullheaded and stubborn as you are?"

"She holds an unhealthy amount of arrogance and superiority," Hanzo said shortly, ignoring Kuai's cheeky grin as the Shirai Ryu had indirectly answered his question. "Bi-Han was teaching her in your absence; she holds no respect for those above her."

"I seem to have a habit of collecting people like that," Kuai snorted into his tea, using the edge of the cup to hide his grin. "Between you, Bi-Han, and this new cryomancer, I already know that my hands are going to be full."

Hanzo scowled. "Shut up," he grumbled, eliciting a chuckle from Kuai.

"You said that there was an alliance between the Lin Kuei and Shirai Ryu?" Kuai asked, his interest piqued. When he got a nod from Hanzo in confirmation, Kuai's smile grew. "That's wonderful news! We could exchange students to expose them to the different teachings, just as I did. Maybe sometime, I could even teach _at_ the Shirai Ryu - I would love to see the clan rebuilt, once more."

Kuai's enthusiasm served to bring Hanzo out of his reluctance to speak - the two of them talked about old and recent memories, losses and triumphs, as the meaning of time became meaningless. They were two friends who had found each other once again through years of pain and sorrow.

* * *

There was something about being in the Lin Kuei temple that felt like home.

It felt odd to Kuai, after all of these years. As a child, he had always regarded the Lin Kuei walls to be akin to those of a prison - they were meant to keep him contained in the building, restricting and limiting his freedom. Now, however, there was a sense of comfort and relief to step back inside the temple. While the infrastructure of the building had undergone some renovations, Kuai hardly took the changes into account.

No, it was the people that brought Kuai joy. At first, it had been only him and Tomas that had made up the Lin Kuei in the wake of Sektor's defeat. Now, Kuai had his own family, which had grown significantly through the years. The clanspeople who had first been brought by Liu Kang had increased drastically through the years. Now, instead of being an organization like the late Lin Kuei, there was a familial element to the Lin Kuei, something that Kuai had implemented from his life in the Shirai Ryu. 

After saying their goodbyes to the Special Forces team (with Kuai promising to not do anything stupid, multiple times), they had returned to the Lin Kuei temple. Kuai had changed into the spare uniform that was resting in his closet, collecting dust. After cleaning it up, he had donned it once again, pleased to discover that it still fit. Being back in his blue colors made Kuai happy in a way that he couldn't explain - there was something about the color that had offered him reassurance, of some kind.

Walking easily through the snow, Kuai was struggling to keep himself composed. After spending nearly a full year away from his clan, the cryomancer was feeling a myriad of emotions, ranging from nostalgia and euphoria. Tomas and Bi-Han were walking right beside him - the enenra was struggling to not laugh at his friend's widened eyes, while Bi-Han maintained his stoic composure in front of the other students.

Hanzo was also there with the Lin Kuei warriors, lagging slightly behind the group. The Shirai Ryu was there to review the revisions to the peace agreement between their two clans, but he also wanted to ensure that Kuai would settle comfortably back into his own life. He had teleported with them from the Special Forces to the Lin Kuei temple, knowing that he could easily return back to the Shirai Ryu at any time from any place. Hanzo always felt a little out of place, standing on Lin Kuei grounds as a Shirai Ryu warrior - but with Kuai, Bi-Han, and Tomas there, his anxiousness was dispelled.

There were a broad diversity of reactions from the clanspeople who were conducting their daily activities. The newer students who hadn't met Kuai before turned their heads to follow him, curiosity etched onto their puzzled faces. The older students - those who had been at the Lin Kuei for longer than a year - watched with wide eyes as they saw their presumed-dead Grandmaster walk through the courtyard of the temple. Some of them were able to recover quickly from the shock, stuttering out half-formed greetings. Some of the pupils even dared to suffer from the wrath of their instructors, leaving the group to walk up to properly greet the cryomancer.

Eventually, Kuai found himself walking through the hallways of the Lin Kuei temple, remembering his way to the office as though he had been here yesterday. Tomas nudged Kuai as they were nearing the office, speaking directly to his best friend, "Now that you're back, you can be Grandmaster again!"

Kuai frowned, stopping in his tracks as he faced Tomas. "Are you sure?" he asked doubtfully, frowning as he considered the enenra's words, "You've done very well with the clan in my absence; you could be better at managing the clan than I would."

Bi-Han snorted in the back, turning his head to avoid Tomas's glare. "You didn't have to be so rude about it," the enenra snapped, making Bi-Han roll his eyes with a smirk on his face. "He complains to me non-stop every day," Bi-Han told his younger brother, whose face shifted from a considerate look to one of understanding. "He hates the responsibility and the lack of free time. He'd always question about how you were able to do it so easily - I can tell that he's glad that you're back; if only to push the job back onto you."

"That's not the only reason!" Tomas exclaimed, waving his hands wildly to dispel Bi-Han's comment. "I'm glad that you're still alive, Kuai. Bi-Han's just being a dick."

Standing outside of the office doors, Kuai shared a conspiring grin with Bi-Han before turning back to Tomas. "I know, you idiot. If that's what you want, then I can resume my duties as Grandmaster. Is there anything else that you need to clarify with me - before we revise the peace treaty?"

"We~ell..." Tomas drew out, hesitating slightly as he shared a look with Bi-Han. The shadow manipulator frowned, not understanding why Tomas was looking over at him. "There is _one_ thing," the enenra continued, giving up on trying to mentally communicate with Bi-Han. "I don't know if someone told you this already, but we have a new student here. She's a cryomancer."

"Oh!" Kuai's eyes lit up with sudden understanding. "That's right - Hanzo told me about her; Frost was her name, right?"

"We can talk about this later," Bi-Han groaned, realizing where Tomas was going with his spiel. "He's only gotten back - don't push any more unnecessary stress onto him. Let's just talk about the changes to the treaty and call it a day, alright?"

"She's a goddamn menace," Tomas spoke bluntly, ignoring Bi-Han completely, who in turn sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose with utter exasperation. "She thinks that she's better than everyone else and holds a firm belief that she's never wrong - because of that, she refuses to listen to anyone. If she can't listen to us when we try to correct her, then she can't learn. If she can't learn, then she can't stay."

"From what I remember," Kuai spoke in turn as the office door shut closed behind them, "we did much the same when we were younger, Tomas. B-Han is right; we can worry about Frost later when the situation presents itself. For now, let's take things one at a time."

* * *

"You have to leave already?"

The disappointment in the cryomancer's voice made Hanzo turn to face him on the steps of the Lin Kuei temple. Only the two of them stood outside, with the students accumulating in the dining hall for dinner. With the treaty updated, Hanzo had no reason to stay. 

"I should return," the Shirai Ryu General spoke in response to Kuai's question, ignoring the way that his crestfallen look was convincing Hanzo to stay for a little longer. "My students are likely wondering where I have been - Satoshi is also waiting for me to return home safely. The longer I stay here, the more worried he will become."

A small smile materialized on Kuai's face at the mention of Satoshi. "I am glad that he has been reunited with his father - now, he is back home with the Shirai Ryu. I hated having to move him from one place to another without giving him a chance to grow in a single place to develop long-term connections. I have no doubt that he is relieved to be with his family once again, walking in his homeland."

"It is yours, as well," Hanzo spoke, realizing the truth behind his own words as they left his mouth. "You are Shirai Ryu just as much as you are Lin Kuei. Whenever you are in need, or should you desire to see the clan grounds for yourself, know that you will always be welcome at the Shirai Ryu with open arms."

Kuai's eyes shone happily at the offer, smiling shyly at the genuineness behind Hanzo's words. "I _will_ make it a point to visit someday," he replied determinedly, nodding firmly to himself as memories of his life at the Shirai Ryu rose to the forefront of his mind. "I don't know if I will have a chance to do so, in the next few weeks. I will need some time to readjust to being Grandmaster again, but once I regain control of my life, I will take you up on your offer."

Hanzo's breath hitched as he stared at Kuai's face. With the moon hanging high in the sky, the beams of light caught the angles of the cryomancer's face in all of the most flattering angles. While the warm light of the rising sun from that morning had also complimented Kuai, Hanzo preferred the cool radiant light of the night - the light may have seemed cold and harsh on its lonesome, but on the cryomancer, it put his figure in a pure radiance that highlighted the pureness of the man.

Once again, Hanzo was left confused as to why he was reacting in this way. More puzzling was the fact that he no longer felt awkward around Kuai, but rather _shy._ It was a rare emotion for the Shirai Ryu to experience, and he was left to try and piece together the reason for his reaction. Perhaps he could speak with Kenshi later - the blind swordsman always seemed to know people better than they knew themselves, at times. 

Presently, Kuai closed the short distance between the two of them, holding Hanzo in a gentle hug. "I missed you," was what Kuai had said, spoken in a gentle whisper as though he was afraid that someone else would overhear them. "You have no idea how happy I am to have the _real_ you back."

Hanzo mustered the courage to return the hug, feeling the tension in his muscles loosen in the comforting, reassuring aura that was radiating off of the cryomancer. In the cold climate that the Lin Kuei temple was located in, the chill that was being emitted from Kuai's body was slightly more noticeable, but it didn't bother Hanzo, whose body was able to generate more heat to balance the wintry temperatures.

"...I'll see you again," Hanzo spoke after stepping away, feeling that saying a simple "goodbye" would not suffice. The words seemed to please Kuai, whose eyes lit up happily at Hanzo's words as he nodded in response. "Until next time, then," the cryomancer spoke in response.

Kuai watched Hanzo disappear in a torrent of flame, returning to the Shirai Ryu. With Hanzo gone, the cryomancer turned to re-enter the Lin Kuei temple, making his way to the dining hall. As he made his way through the abandoned hallways that were dimly lit with torches hanging on the walls, Kuai could hear the sounds of laughter and conversation roll over him like a wave of thunder as he slowly got closer and closer to the room.

Pushing the large double doors open, Kuai walked down the path that the long tables formed. He passed by the students dining from their seats at these long tables, ignoring the curious glances that he was getting for now as he walked up to the large, main table at the front of the room where the head staff sat to face the students. As he walked with confidence and a natural presence of power, the loud conversations of the students fell to a quiet hush as they stared at the cryomancer with widened eyes. At the left side of the room were the youngest students - the ones who were unaware of who Kuai was. To the furthest right of the dining hall were the established warriors, who were sporting knowing grins and murmuring amongst themselves.

The teachers and instructors were seated at the table, all of whom Kuai knew from his time as Grandmaster. Their smiles were warm and welcoming as they caught sight of him, joyous that their Grandmaster had returned home. Tomas and Bi-Han were seated on either side of the single empty chair in the center of the table, waiting patiently for Kuai to join them. The cryomancer grinned happily at the sight of his older brother seated in the Lin Kuei temple once more, restored and returned back to his family. Bi-Han caught sight of Kuai's grin and gave a small smile back - almost a smirk - that elicited a flurry of whispers from the nearby students, unfamiliar with seeing this softer side of Bi-Han.

Of course, after hearing them, Bi-Han shot a nasty glare down to them, making the pupils squeak from fear and surprise as they ducked their heads to avoid his scrutiny.

Kuai walked to his seat at the center, pausing in his stride when Tomas stood up from his chair to bow in greeting - a customary sign of respect to a person higher up in the chain-of-command. Kuai instinctively returned the bow, standing straight once again to find that Bi-Han had also gotten up to pull his chair back for him. Giving his older brother a grateful smile, Kuai sat down into his seat, turning to Tomas, who was the only one standing in the room.

"Good evening, everyone!" the enenra called out to the pupils, his voice carrying through the room and echoing against the walls. "Bi-Han and I have returned from the Special Forces base - as some of you know, there was a crisis that required our immediate intervention. We apologize for the sudden departure but thank all of you for remaining vigilant in our absence. I don't have to emphasize the importance of our role in Earthrealm's defense. Accompanying us was none other than General Hasashi of the Shirai Ryu, with whom we have an alliance. I urge all of you to remember the peace between our clans - it is a sacred trust that must not be broken. Peace is a sacred thing."

He paused for a breath, letting his words settle before continuing. "As most of you know by now, we came back to the Lin Kuei with one more person than we left with. You also have picked up that I am no longer sitting in the seat of the Grandmaster. This," he spoke, placing his hands on the back of Kuai's shoulders, who shook off Tomas's hands with an amused smile on his face, "is my dear friend, Kuai Liang. If you were here last year, you might remember this man. He is the most dedicated, loyal person I have ever met, and he was Grandmaster before I took over in his absence."

"He was thought to be dead, so having him back is both a miracle and a blessing. He will be taking his place back as Grandmaster, once again. I'm sure that a lot of you will find that you will be relieved with this change in position. Unlike myself, he is able to talk back to Bi-Han, because they're brothers. As you all know, Bi-Han _fucking_ terrifies me," Tomas finished, turning to the older brother.

"So long as you know it," Bi-Han grinned like a shark.

"That's all that I have to say," Tomas continued, sparing a look back to Bi-Han every now and then, "so enjoy your meals, and don't forget to give a warm welcome to Grandmaster Sub-Zero! The Elder Gods know that this place could use a little warming," the enenra finished, muttering the last sentence under his breath.

"I don't know what you're talking about," both Kuai and Bi-Han spoke in unison as Tomas plopped himself back in his seat, the enenra glaring at his friends.

With Tomas's dismissing statement, there was a sudden uproar of applause and cheers from the older students' table, making Kuai's head snap to the table. He could recognize many of the faces at the table - these were the students that Kuai had given the most attention to, overseeing their training. While he oversaw the progress of all the students, it was the other instructors that took responsibility for the younger students, while Kuai was the instructor of the graduating class before the pupils became fully-fledged warriors.

Kuai acknowledged the students' joy with a bashful wave and nod, letting the noise die out on its own. As the noise finally dissipated, a voice called out from one of the other tables that seated the middle-year students - those that were undergoing refinement in their fighting techniques.

"Doesn't he have to fight you for the title?"

Shocked murmurs ran through the crowd at the blatant and blunt question that was uttered, the tone completely rid of disrespect. Kuai already had an inkling of who this person was, but he still turned to locate the source of the question. Sure enough, with heads turned in her direction, was none other than Frost herself, looking up at Kuai with narrowed eyes. Tomas cleared his throat awkwardly, addressing the question himself.

"Kuai would gladly hand me my ass on a silver platter if he had the chance," he laughed hesitantly, trying to diffuse the tense atmosphere in the room. "Besides - I have already made it clear that I have forfeited my position; there is no need for questions to be made based on his ability to lead the clan. The senior students can attest to his skill in this regard."

"There is, of course, challenge by kombat," Kuai noted, speaking loudly to ensure that his voice carried out so that he could be heard by everyone. 

Bi-Han's head snapped to Kuai, who turned slowly in his seat, a sparkle in his eye. "What are you doing?" Bi-Han spoke lowly, his voice laced with a warning edge. 

The cryomancer ignored Bi-Han, choosing instead to stare intently at the female cryomancer, whose eyes gleamed with the prospect of becoming Grandmaster, should she win the fight. "Do you wish to challenge me to kombat?" Kuai asked, goading her to make the mistake of agreeing. It would teach her a lesson about patience and respect, once she realized what he was capable of. Hopefully, it would make training her more manageable in the future.

"I challenge you, Sub-Zero!" her voice called out in a shrill command, standing up abruptly. "If I win, I will become the Lin Kuei Grandmaster!"

"Okay," Kuai shrugged, standing up as well in a nonchalant manner. "However, if I win, you will hold more respect to your higher-ranking officers and listen to my every word." With that, Kuai began walking toward the doors of the dining hall. Tomas stared at his friend's retreating back with his mouth agape while Bi-Han covered a hand over his eyes, shaking his head with exasperation as he caught on to what Kuai was trying to accomplish. "Let's bring this outside, though - I'd hate to destroy the dining hall for a five-minute spar," he spoke tauntingly, pushing the doors open before spinning on his heel to stare out at the faces of the students.

"While we're on the topic, is there anyone else who would like to make their own challenge?" he asked, unable to hold back the shit-eaten grin on his face.

* * *

Kuai adjusted the armguards on his wrists, reveling in the chill of the wind as it ruffled through his hair. A hand reached to his belt where a royal blue silk band was hung, unwrapping it as he lifted it up to his head. Holding the ends of the sash with both hands, he made quick work in tying it around his head, pushing the hair out of his eyes to hold it back.

Opposite to him, Kuai watched with calculating eyes as Frost slowly made her way to the clearing in the courtyard, her slow pace a contradiction to the eagerness reflected in her eyes. Kuai felt a serene calm wash over him as he bowed to his opponent in a routine that he had practiced as a child. The female cryomancer returned the bow before the two of them got into their respective fighting stances.

They stayed in place, waiting for the command to begin their brawl. It never came. Kuai could feel the stares of the spectating students on his neck, but he paid no attention to the uncomfortable sensation. As a minute passed, Kuai huffed and rolled his eyes, letting his arms fall to his sides as he turned to the sidelines, where Tomas was standing.

"Are we waiting for Christmas?" Kuai asked with wry amusement, an eyebrow quirked in question. "I'd like to get this done by tonight, Tomas."

The enenra's face flushed with embarrassment as he realized his mistake, coughing into his fist awkwardly as the laughter from the students rang out in the clearing. "Right; sorry. Fight!"

Kuai was not in his fighting stance when Tomas gave the command, enabling Frost to rush at him. She lashed at him with harsh, brutal blows. Kuai blocked the first few hits in his unprepared state as he recovered, able to dodge the last hits. His defensive maneuvers were always his strong suit, and he was able to utilize this to his advantage. He noted that Frost's hits were sloppy and unrefined - it seemed to him that she threw all sorts of hits and hoped that one of them would stick. Her anger and emotions made her blows messier and removed her composure, giving Kuai the win from the beginning.

As she grew more frustrated, she threw her hand out, the palm glowing a bright blue. Kuai instinctively spun to the side, escaping the beam of light that shot out at where he had been standing. He could feel the chill from the beam - Kuai realized that Frost had not learned to control her abilities; to shape them. Instead of creating a neat ball of ice to hurl at her opponent, she used these unreformed beams of light. While it covered a broader range, it did not have the same range as a ball of ice would. Furthermore, it only proved Kuai's point about her emotions - because she let her emotions run loose, she could not control her powers in the same way that Kuai could. 

With this understanding, Kuai decided to use a little cryomancy of his own. He summoned a ball of ice, hurling it at her leg. The ice connected, spreading up her leg to anchor it to the ground. Kuai could see her eyes widen in shock, staring down at the ice on her leg with her own element used against her. To her credit, Frost was able to break out of the ice quickly, narrowly dodging Kuai's downward strike.

Now, she was forced on the defensive as Kuai pushed forward his advantage. He struck at her with hits that were intended to strike at pressure points and other places that would deal pain, pulling his blows to not deal too much injury. As Frost stumbled backward, Kuai decided to end the fight there. With his left hand, the cryomancer let out a stream of ice as Frost had, with the spray of the light much more narrow and controlled. The ice sealed Frost from the waist down, anchoring both of her feet to the ground. With her immobilized, Kuai quickly summoned his familiar ice sword, holding the edge of the blade against her neck.

"Let's try introductions again," Kuai spoke, his breathing not labored as Frost's was. "My name is Kuai Liang, but you will only refer to me as "Grandmaster" or "Sub-Zero." Yes; I am a cryomancer, just like you are. If you remember your history, then you will recall that it was a cryomancer who killed Shao Kahn in the Mortal Kombat tournament. That cryomancer was _me._ I have fought against man-eating creatures, Netherrealm sorcerers and demons, and narcissistic, power-hungry warriors, like you. Understand, that I have beaten all of them. Understand now that you do not stand a chance against me - not yet. If you let go of your arrogance and overbearing attitude, I can help you reach the point that I have reached, but you have to be willing to _listen_ and _learn._ Do I make myself clear?"

Frost panted, leaning away from the edge of the sword as she nodded once. Satisfied with her reply, Kuai relinquished the ice and destroyed the ice sword in his hand, letting the crushed pieces of ice fall to the snowy ground at their feet.

"It sure is good to be back," Kuai grinned, meeting the faces of his clanspeople standing in front of the Lin Kuei temple in the background, happy to be home.


	24. The Sands of Time

_**Meet me on Thames Street, I'll take you out** _

_**Though I'm hardly worth your time;** _

_**In the cold, you look so fierce,** _

_**But I'm warming up because the tension's like a fire.** _

_**We'll hit South Broadway in a matter of minutes,** _

_**And like a bad movie, I'll drop a line;** _

_**Fall in the grave I've been digging myself** _

_**But there's room for two, six feet under the stars.** _

**\- All Time Low, "Six Feet Under the Stars"**

* * *

The next months flew by in an unrecognizable frenzy for Kuai Liang.

He was firmly set on finding his way back to a comfortable daily routine, now that he was back at the Lin Kuei once again. As Grandmaster, it seemed that the daily tasks never ended. He would have to wake up at four in the morning, which was becoming harder to do as he was getting older. The cryomancer would then try to get a head start on the ever-growing pile of paperwork sitting on his desk - the sight of it every morning only served to dampen his spirits.

After spending two or three hours on the desk job, Kuai would then leave his office to join the waiting students outside in the main courtyard. He would oversee the older students' training, preparing them for the transition from a student to a fully-fledged warrior. This was, perhaps, the highlight of Kuai's day. He greatly enjoyed being able to help others and offer his advice. The students were willing to learn and looked up to him, constantly asking for ways to improve. This interaction between teacher and pupil was what Kuai had always envisioned when he had just become the Grandmaster after overthrowing Sektor.

For the first five months since his return, Kuai had spent time with Frost directly after teaching the senior class. He had hoped that his fight with the female cryomancer would have knocked her down a few pegs, and for the first two months, it had. She seemed more willing to listen to his words, understanding that he held years of knowledge that she had yet to learn. However, Frost's temper and greed for power could not be quelled. It led to sudden outbursts in their private training sessions, pulling on Kuai's patience as he struggled to remain the "cool head" in these tense situations.

"She has NO respect for anyone," Kuai spat, ranting in the Shirai Ryu territory in the company of Hanzo Hasashi, who blinked. "All she wants to know is how to summon the weapons, but she has no refined technique, and refuses to even ENTERTAIN the idea of training with practice weapons, to fix and modify her ability to fight cleanly. And then, she wonders why I'm still able to beat her, and she throws these INSUFFERABLE hissy fits that push me to my goddamn limits. You were wrong, Hanzo - she isn't a troubled student; she's a fucking BABY with the number of temper tantrums she throws daily."

Hanzo blinked again, shaking his head slightly. 

"Kuai - it's three AM."

The Shirai Ryu General was standing on the front steps of the building where he slept, trying to blink the sleep out of his eyes. He wrapped the silk of the kimono tighter around his body to block out the cold wind that was blowing wildly in the night. Kuai was standing at the bottom of the steps that led up to the door, having knocked on Hanzo's door before he started ranting.

"...Oh, it is," Kuai finally realized, turning his head up to the sky where the moon was still glowing brightly. He lowered his head to look directly at Hanzo, grinning sheepishly. "Um... sorry about that..."

"It's fine," Hanzo sighed, turning to the side as he waved an inviting hand, making Kuai perk up happily. "Come in - I've got that jasmine tea that you love in the kitchen."

Frost's draining presence was countered by the daily interactions that Kuai had with Tomas and Bi-Han. The enenra always knew what to say to cheer up the cryomancer, cracking jokes with the same humor that was present when they were children. Despite the childishness behind the quips, Kuai always cracked a small laugh or smiled - he was truly grateful to have Tomas by his side, conserving his sanity.

Having Bi-Han by his side gave Kuai a common source of reassurance whenever he was in his presence. While Bi-Han taught the students, as Tomas did, he also had an important role as Kuai's advisor, much like the role that Tomas held. He served as back-up to the Grandmaster position, should Kuai or Tomas be incapacitated. However, the older brother also served as a bodyguard of sorts, glowering at anyone who may look at his younger brother the wrong way. At first glance, strangers to the Lin Kuei would be intimidated by the power that radiated off of Kuai's presence, but as they got to know the man better, they would see how soft the man actually was.

It was here that Bi-Han's role had a profound impact. Seeing the older brother with his menacing glares was enough to bring the fear back into any person, keeping up the Lin Kuei's feared reputation while Kuai endorsed a much more peace-keeping image. Combined, the two brothers created a strong image for the clan. 

Kuai had also made contact with the Outworlders, letting them know of his survival. Jade had been ecstatic, knowing that Kuai was truly at home with his friends and family. He kept in contact with her specifically, messaging her every week. Kotal had been understanding of Kuai's wish to stay in Earthrealm, applauding the cryomancer's skill and dedication to the job that he had in protecting the queen. There had been a private discussion over the phone with Ermac, in which Kuai had reassured the soul construct that his death was not his fault - his words succeeded in relieving Ermac's lingering guilt, and a heartfelt goodbye had been exchanged between them. Reptile had, once again, told Kuai that he was not so unbearable - for an Earthrealmer - making Kuai resist the urge to sigh as he bid the Saurian farewell. 

As for Erron, the cowboy had simply offered a day to see each other again so that they could get drinks together and... see where the night progressed from there.

Kuai had told him to "fuck off" and that he could "keep dreaming."

There had also been multiple visits to the Shirai Ryu clan when Kuai had finally found free time in his schedule, months later. He had absolutely regretted not being able to visit sooner - the first thing that he saw was the beautiful trees in the Fire Gardens, taking his breath away from the beautiful colors of the leaves. The students had eyed Kuai warily, not knowing how to react. It was only after Kuai met Hanzo with a wide grin that the atmosphere lightened up. The cryomancer had been led through the clan grounds, admiring the likeliness to the Shirai Ryu in the past. When he told Hanzo as such, the man had smiled and blushed bashfully, waving Kuai off with a dismissing comment. 

As promised, Kuai had also begun teaching the senior class of students at the Shirai Ryu on that day. Like his own students at the Lin Kuei, Kuai was able to get them to warm up to his presence after pointing out some footwork errors that sparked a small argument between the leaders of the clans.

"Their footwork is fine," Hanzo had argued, making Kuai frown incredulously at the Shirai Ryu General.

"Are... Are you serious?" Kuai had spoken, trying to suppress the grin (and failing horrendously), "they move as awkwardly as those poor two-legged dinosaurs. Agility is key in kombat - they NEED to be able to move."

"The technique that I've been teaching them does not require them to move as quickly as you do," Hanzo remarked, and Kuai had to agree to the man's statement, realizing the similarities that the students' technique had with their Shirai Ryu teacher's.

_Still..._

"...and why do you think that I've been able to beat you in _all_ of our past fights?" Kuai couldn't resist himself, letting the cheeky grin show on his face.

Hanzo's face darkened considerably. "There was the time in the apartment - besides, it wasn't my _footwork_ that gave you the advantage."

Kuai snorted at Hanzo's attempt to fish for a justification, remembering the encounter that he was referencing. "Yeah - that was only because I was trying to protect Satoshi. You had a considerable advantage in the fact that I didn't want to kill you. As for your footwork, it _could_ use a touch-up..."

The incredulous look on Hanzo's face was enough to send Kuai into peals of laughter. Likewise, the Shirai Ryu students were also trying to hide their smiles behind their hands. It was enough for Hanzo to call an exhibition match right then and there, as the students quickly made room for the two men to stare each other down as they readied themselves for the fight.

Kuai ended up losing once, compared to the three times that he capitalized on footwork errors made by Hanzo - tripping his feet up with a well-placed strike to the legs. The interaction had left Hanzo fuming, with Kuai apologizing profusely to try and reconcile with the grumpy man.

Needless to say, there had not been any interaction between the two for a week.

A recent turnabout had occurred just as Kuai was settling back into his life - Frost had been exiled from the clan. In his sleep, Kuai had been startled awake by the light sounds of creaking floorboards in his room. His senses had been fine-attuned to hearing the slightest sounds in his sleep, resulting in the ability to wake up at the sudden sign of danger. He had caught her with a hand on his Dragon Medallion with a face that looked like a kid that had been caught with their hand in the cookie jar.

The Dragon Medallion had been recovered by Liu Kang - Kuai had thought the precious artifact gone forever in the aftermath of his death. With the Medallion returned to its owner, Kuai had once explained to Frost how the Medallion was given to him in the tournament, trying to emphasize the importance of fighting for valor and honor. She had seemed uninterested in his lesson, choosing instead to focus on the properties of the Medallion. In hindsight, Kuai probably shouldn't have told her about its power-enhancing abilities, but he was desperate to get her to listen to _anything_ that he was saying.

The act of stealing the Medallion was not a cause for exile - it would have only resulted in a few months' time of punishment, such as scrubbing the bathrooms or helping in the kitchens, but she didn't stop there. Committed to her crime, she had attacked Kuai in his disoriented and confused state. In her panic, fighting against the female cryomancer was simple. However, the process was made easier with the sudden reaction of the Medallion - it had rejected the person that was holding onto it, encasing Frost in ice. In a matter of seconds, the female cryomancer's powers were turned against her, and she stood still in the center of Kuai's room, frozen solid.

With the ordeal over, Kuai had huffed tiredly and left the room; he slept the rest of the night on the couch in his office.

The next morning, he assembled the clan together, bringing forward Frost bound in chains after thawing her out. By that point, Kuai had lost his patience and faith in her, as he described the events that had transpired the previous night. When it came time to discuss her fate, Bi-Han was among the first people who had voted for her execution. The older brother was infuriated at the attempted assassination (despite how poorly it had been), and he wanted her killed for it.

However, Kuai had pushed for a more humane course of action, bringing up exile. While it was a cruel thing to do, the cryomancer felt as though he had no other option available to him - Frost just _didn't_ belong in the Lin Kuei. Her thoughts were too violent and barbaric, and her clanspeople feared her presence. There was no future for her in the Lin Kuei, but perhaps, she could find a more righteous path elsewhere. With the decision finally made, she had stormed away down the mountain path to leave the territory, glaring daggers at everyone - especially Kuai. The Grandmaster met her hot glare with a cool and composed look of his own - he felt remorse for letting her go or failing to teach her. She had chosen this path for herself, by refusing to heed his words and abandon her quest for power.

Kuai had told Hanzo as such in one of their weekly meetings - at first, they had only been bi-monthly, but with Frost's departure, there was now a big hole in Kuai's schedule. The cryomancer had chosen to dedicate it immediately to interacting with the Shirai Ryu - after so many years of being at odds with Hanzo, he wanted to re-establish the good relationship that had been between them in the late Shirai Ryu. 

"It is a shame," Hanzo had said in response, sitting across from Kuai at the low wooden table. They were in the living room area of Hanzo's residing quarters in the Shirai Ryu, sitting on a padded mat as they drank tea together. "Had she given up her frivolous desires, she may have made a fine warrior."

"I am _not_ sad to see her go," Kuai re-emphasized, taking a moment to sip at the tea before he set the cup down. "Her anger radiated off onto me - I feared that I would one day lose my composure in an embarrassing moment in front of the students. Perhaps this is a good thing - I have more time to spend here at the Shirai Ryu with your students!"

Hanzo huffed with amusement, shaking his head. "I am sure that the students will be glad to hear that - you've become a favorite, with your kindness and words of wisdom."

Kuai grinned, his enthusiasm becoming infectious. "Maybe I should start baking for them - that way, I can start stealing them from your clan and convert them to the Lin Kuei," he teased.

"Knowing them, they probably would," Hanzo admitted shamelessly, making Kuai start laughing loudly without hiding his smiles behind his hands.

* * *

Hanzo had a problem.

In the few months that Kuai went dark, finding his rhythm back in life as Grandmaster of the Lin Kuei, Hanzo had been left to try and solve his own conundrum. He was still trying to understand the reason behind his reaction to being around the cryomancer, attempting to conclude the reason himself. It all culminated at a point where Hanzo eventually reached out to Kenshi in search of the answers that he needed.

When the wandering blind swordsman had stepped foot in Shirai Ryu territory, Hanzo had been there to greet the man, thankful that Kenshi had found time in his schedule to see him. Kenshi had reassured Hanzo that there was nothing to worry about; after all, he was indebted to Hanzo, after the Shirai Ryu had looked after Takeda and trained the boy. Kenshi had come from his quest for vengeance in light of Suchin’s death, hunting the Red Dragon scoundrels that had taken her life. Only, this time, Takeda had also joined his father in the fight. Father and son had been absent from the Special Forces in the past few months, cutting down the hideouts of the clan.

“We think that we’ve located the main base,” Kenshi spoke to Hanzo as they sat at the table in the kitchen with cups of tea already prepared for both of them. “Hopefully, after taking down this base, the Red Dragon will be finished, and Takeda and I can resume supporting the Special Forces.”

“I am happy for you, my friend,” Hanzo spoke truthfully, understanding Kenshi’s emotions. He thought back to the night after Quan Chi had brought Kuai back from the dead.

After the sorcerer had served his purpose, the Special Forces had turned their heads to the side - intentionally - for Hanzo to confront Quan Chi in his cell, with the shackles cutting off his power. The Shirai Ryu had recounted how the sorcerer had tormented him throughout his life: killing his family, raising him from the dead to have him serve under his family’s murderer, and twisting his mind to kill the only ones left that he loved. Quan Chi had stuttered pathetically, trying to weasel his way out of his inevitable death, but Hanzo was no longer Scorpion. He was immune to Quan Chi’s honey-poisoned words, and when Quan Chi proposed bringing back his family, Hanzo felt rage consume him. The thought of this man laying a hand on his family, bringing them back to life into prevented versions of themselves, made Hanzo see blood. He was so disgusted at that moment that he didn't step forward to grab Quan Chi to kill him.

Instead, Hanzo let his kunai fall from his wrist, letting the point dangle menacingly before he threw it at Quan Chi; the edge was embedded in his chest, pulling him closer to Hanzo as the Shirai Ryu unsheathed the sword strapped to his back. With a savage yet clean slash, Quan Chi’s head was lying on the ground, detached neatly from his body with blood gushing profusely from the wound.

At that moment, Hanzo had felt an immense amount of relief and serenity, despite the gruesome scene in the cell. The thought of avenging his family had given Hanzo a moment to reflect on the past - he could see his mother’s and father’s faces smiling happily at him. He could see Harumi, bathed in the warm sunlight in the kitchen, laughing in the memory. Now, their faces started to blur to a point beyond recognition. It was eerily symbolic of letting go of the deceased so that they could finally find peace and rest in the afterlife, with Quan Chi dead.

As Hanzo thought back to what had happened that night, Kenshi nodded at Hanzo’s previous comment. “Thank you - but enough about me; you called me out here because something is troubling you. What has happened, Hanzo? I thought that you would be busy spending more time with Kuai Liang and catching up with him.”

“He is part of the problem,” Hanzo acknowledged, not catching the unintentional negative tone behind his words.

“I highly doubt that,” Kenshi spoke slowly, cocking his head to the side in confusion. “There is no lingering dark magic in him, and I _know_ Kuai. He’s easy to get along with, and I find him to be good company, even when I wish to be left alone. Did a fight break out between the two of you?”  
  
“No!” Hanzo was quick to refute Kenshi’s question, shaking his head. “No, there is nothing _bad_ between the two of us... It just also concerns him.” From here, Hanzo delved into the explanation of what had happened in the kitchen as well as on the steps of the Lin Kuei temple before he had left. At first, Kenshi had been engrossed in Hanzo’s monologue, intent on helping Hanzo with his predicament. However, as Hanzo began talking about the real problem - the emotions he was feeling - Kenshi suddenly coughed, clearing his throat apologetically. He quickly raised his cup of tea to his mouth, covering his mouth as Hanzo continued, eyeing Kenshi suspiciously.

By the time that Hanzo had finished, Kenshi was leaning to the side in his chair, tipping dangerously as he let out the most hoarse wheeze that Hanzo had ever heard in his life. Kenshi gave up in trying to stay in his chair, falling to the ground roughly where he lay on his side, clutching at his stomach as he _howled_ with laughter. Hanzo could feel his face adopt a more grumpy look, not appreciating Kenshi’s laughter at his expense.

“If you're not going to say anything useful,” Hanzo spoke sourly, “the door is right there.”

“Oh, Elder Gods help me and this idiot,” Kenshi gasped, pulling himself onto his feet by using the edge of the table for purchase. By now, his laughter had ceased, although the grin on his face was permanently etched there. “You poor, poor man,” he crooned mockingly, making Hanzo bare his teeth in a snarl. Kenshi ignored the danger, pushing with more taunts. 

“Do you think about him often? Are you daydreaming about him? Just can't get him out of your head, can you?” With that, Kenshi chuckled, shaking his head as he plopped back into his seat, leaning back casually.

“...I _have_ been preoccupied with thinking about Kuai,” Hanzo admitted hesitantly, not liking Kenshi's leering face. “His birthday is coming soon, and I am pondering over what to gift him.”

“I bet it’s not _just_ that,” Kenshi smirked, leaning in as he lowered his voice to a whisper. _“You like him ROMANTICALLY, you goddamn lovesick idiot.”_

 ** _“WHAT?!”_** Hanzo’s reaction was immediate as he recoiled from Kenshi, who was grinning stupidly at this revelation. “I... No, that’s not true! I...”

Kenshi let out a gleeful noise, standing up as he began skipping around Hanzo. “Hanzo loves Kuai! When’s the wedding? Am I going to be your best man?”

“You... **_Shut the fuck up,”_** Hanzo hissed, feeling his face heat up with embarrassment. “I do not have a _crush_ on Kuai Liang. He’s a respected ally and friend; nothing more.”

“Ooh ~ He’s in deni~al!!!” Kenshi spoke in a sing-song voice, sitting back down. “There’s no shame in admitting it, Hanzo. Trust me - you are _really_ in love with him. The amount of love that I can read in your thoughts is too much to be platonic; you _love_ him.”

Hanzo held his head in his hands, feeling a mounting headache build in his head. “This... No! I loved Harumi, Kenshi. There must be another reason for this.”

“If you’re afraid of moving on,” Kenshi spoke slowly, letting his words reach Hanzo, “then you would know that she would want you to be happy. On the other hand, if you’re concerned about your sudden change in sexuality, I wouldn't worry about it; many people change when they discover something new. It happens a lot, in truth.”

As Hanzo was dealing with his existential crisis, Kenshi hummed thoughtfully. “You know, there’s a funny story about Johnny - did you know that he found out he was bisexual at the tournament? One look at Kuai without his mask, with his deep voice, was all it took. We all shared a good laugh over that...”

Kenshi noticed Hanzo’s panicked state, sighing in exasperation as he placed a comforting hand on the Shirai Ryu’s shoulder. “Look - there’s nothing wrong with falling in love with someone new. Like I said earlier, Harumi would want you to live your life. Trust me when I say this - you couldn't ask for a better life companion than Kuai Liang. He’s also bisexual, so there’s nothing to worry about!”

A thoughtful expression crossed Kenshi’s face as he broke off. “Well, actually, you might have some problems with courting him...”

Hanzo removed his hands from his face in a silent question as Kenshi explained his statement. “He’s very oblivious to courtship,” the blind swordsman explained, “Whenever Johnny and I dragged him along with us to a bar in an attempt to get him hooked up with someone, he unknowingly turns down all proposals. He just _doesn't_ get flirting - he thinks that people are just showering him with kind words and compliments. It‘s kind of infuriating and amusing to watch; it does a good job of explaining how he hasn't gotten laid at _all.”_

“That’s enough,” Hanzo snapped, fed up with Kenshi’s “outlandish” suggestions. “If you’re right about this being more than platonic feelings, it will probably wear out in a few months.”

“Yee~eah...” Kenshi drawled, fixing an unconvinced look at Hanzo. “Whatever you say...”

With that, Kenshi took his leave, abandoning Hanzo to his turbulent thoughts. While Kenshi had seemed doubtful of Hanzo's assessment, the Shirai Ryu was dead set on his statement. He believed that this... whatever it was... was nothing more than an unusual phase that he was going through right now. After some time, Kenshi's silly notions would cease to exist, and Hanzo could interact with Kuai in a more normal and composed manner. By the time that Kuai eventually found time to visit the Shirai Ryu, Hanzo's ridiculous feelings would be resolved. Right?

**_Wrong._ **

In fact, when Hanzo saw Kuai again, the "symptoms" had only seemed to worsen. In the cryomancer's first visit to the re-established Shirai Ryu, it had been _exactly_ three months and seven days since Kenshi had deciphered Hanzo's reaction to seeing Kuai. By that time, Hanzo was _certain_ that he wouldn't have any abnormal reactions, but when Kuai stepped through the glowing portal, his eyes lit up with joy at the sight of the Fire Garden, Hanzo could feel his heart beating in his ears. He gritted his teeth in irritation but forced a smile for Kuai's sake, giving simple introductions before leading Kuai through on a tour of the clan territory.

The entire time, Kuai had talked non-stop about his time in the Lin Kuei, fondly describing the students and their strong will in trying to succeed and improve. Hanzo noted that the cryomancer was still animated in his hands whenever he spoke, waving a hand every now and then in his explanation. It was another one of those traits that Kuai had retained from his childhood, but it only served to make the cryomancer more endearing in Hanzo's eyes. 

Still, Hanzo was not ready to give up yet. He was certain that he just needed more time alone and away from Kuai, thinking to himself about how he could fix this issue as the Lin Kuei Grandmaster attended to his senior class of students, surveying their forms and stances. It was a comment about his pupils' footwork that snapped Hanzo out of his trance, frowning in disagreement at Kuai's assessment. "Their footwork is fine."

The look of astonishment that Kuai sent his way ignited that competitive nature in Hanzo as he stared Kuai down through narrowed eyes. "Are... Are you serious?" Kuai said, a grin rising to the surface on his face, "they move as awkwardly as those poor two-legged dinosaurs. Agility is key in kombat - they NEED to be able to move."

"The technique that I've been teaching them does not require them to move as quickly as you do," Hanzo remarked, which made Kuai nod once in understanding, a thoughtful expression covering his face as he mulled over Hanzo's words.

The Shirai Ryu General had thought the conversation to be over, but Kuai had to open his mouth again.

"...and why do you think that I've been able to beat you in _all_ of our past fights?"

Hanzo could feel the glower on his face, lifting his head to make eye-contact with Kuai. There was a wide grin on the other man's face, on full display without any shame whatsoever. "There was the time in the apartment - besides, it wasn't my _footwork_ that gave you the advantage," Hanzo justified, trying to end the conversation so that he could get Kuai to stop looking at him with his honey-brown eyes.

Kuai snorted at Hanzo's statement, pulling on the strings of Hanzo's pride and anger. "Yeah - that was only because I was trying to protect Satoshi," the cryomancer spoke, crossing his arms and he gave Hanzo a smug look. "You had a considerable advantage in the fact that I didn't want to kill you. As for your footwork, it _could_ use a touch-up..."

The look that crossed over Hanzo's face was enough to send Kuai into peals of laughter, leaving the Shirai Ryu to wonder what emotions had been reflected on his face. Hanzo was willing to let the blunt comment go - it was just a friendly jab, after all - but his students were also taking amusement from the conversation at the expense of their teacher. It was enough for Hanzo to call an exhibition match right then and there, as the students quickly made room for the two men to stare each other down as they readied themselves for the fight.

Hanzo was thankful for the opportunity to spar - he held the belief that through an act of violence, his unreasonable emotions would be curbed, if only for a short while. However, as Hanzo was getting into his stance, he looked up to see his opponent standing across from him, adjusting his armguards in a pre-fight routine that Hanzo was entirely familiar with. As their eyes locked, Kuai grinned wildly, emulating the energy of an adrenaline junkie. The devilish grin, coupled with the soft breeze that flew through the clearing to make the cryomancer's hair sway to the side, was all it took to make Hanzo completely forget why they were fighting to begin with...

...and then, he was lying on the ground, pinned in a wrestling chokehold that he had to tap out of.

They went three more times, with Hanzo thankfully obtaining _one_ win to preserve his dignity. While Kuai _had_ capitalized on the errors in Hanzo's footwork - as he had said - the Shirai Ryu found that he was making many more careless mistakes than he ever did in his life. 

It was both extremely frustrating and humiliating, to say the least.

By the time that Kuai had long disappeared, returned back to the Lin Kuei, Hanzo couldn't find the usual ire and irritation in himself at his loss against the cryomancer earlier today. The main reason for this was because he couldn't rid himself of the image that had captured his mind during their last fighting round - Kuai had pinned Hanzo to the dirt ground under their feet, holding his forearm against the Shirai Ryu's throat as he propped himself above him. To Hanzo, the interaction had seemed awkwardly intimate, but no one else seemed to pick up on Hanzo's petrified state - not even the students. 

He could still feel the cold breath of the cryomancer on his cheek as Kuai panted slightly, recovering breath from the spar. The imprint refused to leave, much like the recent memory that was haunting Hanzo's thoughts. "So," Kuai had said through a grin that caused the corners of his eyes to crinkle slightly, "was this defeat due to your footwork, or your old age?"

With the Lin Kuei Grandmaster back with his clan, Hanzo was left to evaluate the events of that day and came to the inevitable conclusion: Kenshi was **_absolutely_** right. At first, Hanzo had panicked, his mind whirling furiously as he tried to accept the newly-discovered bit of information. After about an hour or so (with tea; LOTS of tea), Hanzo had finally pulled himself together to think coherently, evaluating his new position.

It took a few more days for the Shirai Ryu to finally accept this as the truth - by the end of the week, he was able to think to himself without flinching: "Yes, I am in love with Kuai Liang." Instead of making Hanzo cringe internally or panic at the idea of being in love with the cryomancer, he felt warm and happy admitting it to himself. Whenever Kuai visited, Hanzo found that he was no longer anxious or awkward around the Lin Kuei Grandmaster - now that Hanzo had accepted his feelings, it made their interactions much more relaxing and enjoyable.

There was _one_ particular instance, however, where another awkward moment occurred between the two of them. This time, _thankfully,_ was NOT Hanzo's fault. 

As Hanzo had been sleeping in his bed one night, he had been startled awake by a series of three simple knocks on his front door. Frowning, the Shirai Ryu General walked to the door and opened it up, holding his sword nearby just in case, only to see none other than Kuai Liang at the bottom of the steps. The cryomancer was decked out in his uniform in the dead of night, but more worrying was the stormy look that was on the cryomancer's face.

"I'm done," is what Kuai spoke.

Hanzo felt panic seize his chest, thinking that Kuai was referring to the alliance between the Shirai Ryu and Lin Kuei - after all, what else could it be? "Done with what?" he still asked, just to make sure.

"It's Frost," Kuai growled, and everything clicked into place in Hanzo's head as he now understood. "She has NO respect for anyone," Kuai spat, oblivious to the night scene in the Shirai Ryu territory. "All she wants to know is how to summon the weapons, but she has no refined technique, and refuses to even ENTERTAIN the idea of training with practice weapons, to fix and modify her ability to fight cleanly. And then, she wonders why I'm still able to beat her, and she throws these INSUFFERABLE hissy fits that push me to my goddamn limits. You were wrong, Hanzo - she isn't a troubled student; she's a fucking BABY with the number of temper tantrums she throws daily."

Hanzo felt fond exasperation rise up in him, as he realized that Kuai had gone from the Lin Kuei and to the Shirai Ryu _just_ to tell Hanzo about this problem that he was dealing with. Still, Hanzo knew that he had to be responsible and remind Kuai about the time as well as the poor timing of his visit. 

"Kuai - it's three AM."

The cryomancer stared blankly at Hanzo for a good minute before he whirled around, taking in the dark environment. His head tilted back to look up at the black sky that was dotted with the stars and the glowing moon. 

"...Oh, it is," Kuai finally realized, lowering his head to look directly at Hanzo. He gave a small sheepish chuckle, scratching the back of his neck. "Um... sorry about that..."

"It's fine," Hanzo sighed, turning to the side as he waved an inviting hand, making Kuai perk up happily. Since Kuai was here with his mind in a chaotic state, Hanzo might as well try to help ease the other man's worries. "Come in - I've got that jasmine tea that you love in the kitchen."

* * *

Kuai had been at the Special Forces base when the time anomaly started.

It was the day that the Mortal Kombat tournament had begun, many years ago. On this day, all of the kombatants reunited at the Special Forces base for a single day to reminisce on old memories and share new stories. It was an oddly therapeutic method to release the horrors of the past - a chance to look forward to the future.

Kuai was seated in his seat at the large conference table, with Tomas and Bi-Han nearby. The cryomancer was chatting amiably with Johnny and Kenshi, happy to be surrounded by his friends once again. Soon, he found himself cracking jokes at Johnny's expense and rolling with the taunts that were directed at him.

As Kuai was snorting uncontrollably at a poor impersonation that Johnny had done of Jax (which had resulted in Johnny being chased around the table by the enraged metal-armed man), there was a hand placed on Kuai's shoulder that pulled him away from Kenshi. Turning around slowly, Kuai relaxed slightly when he saw that it was Hanzo who had reached out to the cryomancer. Kuai let the instinctive smile take form on his face, happy to see the other man.

"Hanzo! It took you a while to get here - I thought that you weren't going to show," Kuai spoke honestly, "I'm glad that you're here; Kenshi said that you had something important to tell me?"

At Kuai's words, Hanzo turned to glare at Kenshi, who had tilted his head up to the ceiling in a faked posture of innocence. "He was lying," the Shirai Ryu managed to speak without growling in irritation at the blind swordsman. "I just wanted to come over to say hello. How has your life been, without Frost to "hinder" you?"

"It's been great!" Kuai spoke enthusiastically, diving into a long-winded explanation of the major events that had transpired in the walls of the Lin Kuei. Hanzo didn't mind it when Kuai would talk on and on - rarely did Hanzo ever tire from hearing Kuai speak. However, this time, Hanzo was struggling to focus. From behind the Lin Kuei Grandmaster's shoulder, Kenshi was looking at Hanzo with a conspiring grin on his face, giving Hanzo an uneasy feeling.

As Kuai was talking, Kenshi slowly crept up behind the cryomancer, his hands out in front of him. Hanzo realized belatedly that Kenshi was intending to push Kuai forward and into the Shirai Ryu's arms. Before Hanzo could do anything to stop Kenshi, however, there was the cracking sound of thunder in the room.

Everyone startled at the noise, with some people jumping in the air as Liu Kang stood in the room, a grim look on his face. "Shang Tsung has infiltrated the Chamber of Time where the Hourglass is stored - using a crown that he fused with the souls he has stolen, he now has the ability to control the Hourglass. The other Elder Gods are trying to find a way to drive him out of the room, but he has a legion of Netherrealm demons guarding the entrances."

"Are you serious?" Stryker groaned, lowering the beer that he was holding in his hand. "This was supposed to be a celebratory party, not a hunting party!"

"The circumstances are dire," Liu Kang pressed, his facial features betraying his anxiety. "With the Hourglass, Shang Tsung could warp the boundaries between the past and future - he could bring forth in time certain... unsavory characters that may have died in the past."

"Shao Kahn," Kuai spoke, his mouth thinning as he remembered the power-hungry dictator that he had killed in the tournament.

Liu Kang nodded at his champion, bringing a dark atmosphere to the room. "Shang Tsung could even erase the timelines, rewinding time to the very beginning - he could shape the events of the future to best suit himself, bringing misery to the innocent. However, I do not believe that he is well-versed in the functions of the Hourglass. He only seems to know about its existence, but not about its uses. Nevertheless, it is imperative that we remove the sorcerer from the Hourglass, to ensure the safety of not only our timeline but the others as well."

"Other... timelines? Those are a thing?" Johnny was only one of the confused that were trying to understand Liu Kang's words. 

"Yes," Liu Kang confirmed. "This timeline is the main timeline because it is the world that I reside in, as Keeper of Time. The other timelines progress around the events that have transpired in this world. For example, we may have lost an important battle in another one of these timelines, changing the progress of events. This has happened before, once. A Titan by the name of Kronika served as the previous Keeper of Time. However, she was intent on restarting the timelines to remove Raiden's positive influence on the realms. The past and present collided, with your past selves contributing to the fight - while we were too late to stop here from restarting time, I became a god and defeated Kronika, leaving me in control of the Hourglass. I have shaped events to lead us to this moment, but it may not matter if Shang Tsung rewinds time once again."

"Do you think that we'll be getting a visit from our past selves?" Kenshi asked curiously, tilting his head as he questioned Liu Kang.

"There is only one way to know for certain," Liu Kang spoke decidedly, his eyes sparkling with lightning. "We must travel to the Koliseum in Outworld."


	25. Do You Remember the Good Days?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> IMPORTANT! For future reference, characters in the present will just be referred to with their own name, while their past selves will be referred to as “Past!_______” with their name after the exclamation point for easier reading.

_**Oh, don't you wonder when the light begins to fade?** _

_**And the clock just makes the colors turn to grey.** _

_**Forever younger,** _

_**Growing older just the same.** _

_**All the memories that we made will never change;** _

_**We'll stay drunk, we'll stay tan, let the love remain,** _

_**And I swear that I'll always paint you.** _

**\- Panic! at the Disco, "Golden Days"**

* * *

Kuai blinked the sand grains out of his eyes, using his hand to cover his mouth and nose. 

As the sand swirling restlessly at his feet died down, Kuai lowered his hand slowly, able to open his eyes wider as he took in the haunting image of the Koliseum, where the Mortal Kombat tournament had taken place all those years ago. It offered Kuai small comfort to see Kotal Kahn sitting on the stone throne in the place of Shao Kahn, as his eyes locked with the other Outworlders that he was already acquainted with.

To Kuai's left, in the middle of the Koliseum, was a six-armed creature that was not built as strong nor bulky as the Shokan warriors that Kuai knew. This individual was imprisoned in an elaborate contraption, restraining his movement as eight Osh-Tekk warriors held onto the ends of the restraint. It was obvious to Kuai that this creature was awaiting his execution, with the way that his head was propped above the wood of the contraption.

The emperor stood up from his throne, frowning at the sudden appearance of the uninvited Earthrealmers. "Liu Kang," he spoke, directly addressing the god responsible for teleporting the Earthrealmers to the Koliseum, "what is the meaning of this?"

Liu Kang bowed hurriedly before running up to the emperor and empress, talking in a hushed voice to quickly explain the strange circumstances that had prompted their sudden appearance. Kuai took a moment to take in his surroundings, shifting uncomfortably. Here in the open space, Kuai felt vulnerable to attack. The trained assassin in him was already planning several escape routes in his mind when the sand suddenly picked up, a distance away from the Earthrealmers.

Everyone watched with tense anticipation as the sand funneled up into the sky in multiple separate columns. Suddenly, people started to walk forward through the sand; a much younger-looking Erron Black stepped forward first, twirling his pistol expertly with his hand. Next to him came a woman dressed in red - Kuai hadn't met her before, but he realized that she must be Skarlet; an assassin for Shao Kahn who had been tracked by Special Forces and killed.

After Skarlet came none other than Baraka, unsheathing his trademark Tarkatan blades as he growled menacingly. Beside Baraka now stood Reptile of the past, curling his claws in anticipation to attack. Next was none other than Kano, whose red cybernetic eye glinted maliciously as Sonya bit back a curse. Ermac was next to emerge, hovering above the ground as his arms glowed green. Beside him emerged Mileena, the Tarkatan daughter of Sindel and Shao Kahn. As Kuai thought of the previous emperor and empress, they were next to emerge from the sand, standing tall and confidently in the Koliseum grounds. The sight of them sent a chill down Kuai's spine as he saw the people that he knew he may have to kill the former emperor again.

However, seeing Shao Kahn was nothing in comparison to seeing the next few people that emerged from the sand - Kuai stiffened as he saw Scorpion again, wearing his Netherrealm uniform once again as his milky-white eyes scanned the Koliseum. Next to him, Kuai could also sense Hanzo's discomfort as seeing his past self that had brought pain to the cryomancer in the past. Kuai reached out to grasp Hanzo's hand, trying to comfort himself as well as the other man.

After Scorpion, came Bi-Han as Noob Saibot. Seeing his older brother in his wraith form gave Kuai a clear understanding of when they had come from - it must have been the second part of the tournament when Kuai had faced both Scorpion and Noob Saibot before going on to kill Shao Kahn. Seeing Noob Saibot, with Quan Chi lingering closely behind, only increased Kuai's discomfort - there were just too many people here who wanted him dead.

However, just as Kuai thought that the time anomaly had ceased, the sand picked up once again from across the array of the Outworlders and those fighting on behalf of Shao Kahn. From the turbulent sand emerged a younger Johnny, followed by Sonya, Kenshi, Jax, Stryker, Kabal, Nightwolf, and Kuai himself. It was eerie, seeing his younger self standing there across the sand. Kuai noticed immediately the confused and lost look in his younger self's eyes, remembering how everything had been confusing for him at the time. 

Finally, the sand and wind died down, with the past merged into the future. The crowd in the Koliseum had quieted completely, bringing an abnormal silence to the large amphitheater. As the kombatants stared in shock at each other, Shao Kahn stormed forward angrily, summoning his warhammer to hold it in his hands. "What is the meaning of this?" he bellowed angrily, repeating Kotal's earlier words.

"You have been brought from the past to our present," Liu Kang spoke slowly, eyeing the hammer warily as he walked to the center of the Koliseum. Kuai belatedly realized that in the chaos of the rising sand, the creature that had been kept prisoner in the restraint was now loose - he had knocked out many of the Osh-Tekk that had been holding him down, killing one of them to obtain the key. Now, he was standing behind Shao Kahn, leering at the Earthrealmers from the side.

"Time has been disrupted," Liu Kang explained, "You all must have been in the Mortal Kombat tournament to determine Earthrealm's fate - this is sixteen years ahead of your time."

"What sorcery has caused this?" Sindel herself spoke, sidling up next to her husband. "For what purpose have we been brought here?"

"Kotal!" Shoa Kahn exclaimed, looking at the current emperor sitting on his throne, "and Jade? Why do you sit upon _my_ throne, you pretender?!"

"You died in the tournament," Kotal snapped, feeling on edge with the conquerer's aggressive attitude. "You, and many of those who supported your rule. With help from Earthrealm, we overthrew Mileena's tyrannous reign, and I became emperor. We ally with Earthrealm against the dark forces that may threaten the peace, and the Outworlders are happy to be rid of you."

"What blasphemy is this?!" Shao Kahn raged, undoubtedly displeased with what he had just heard. "How could I have lost in the tournament? How dare you usurp my daughter's rightful ascension to the throne! Who was the miscreant that killed me and set off this madness that is the future?!"

 _"I_ did."

Kuai had put up with enough - he shook off the warning looks of the others and their hands that tried to pull him back as the cryomancer strode forward, making the crowd roar in approval as they recognized the cryomancer that had ended the villainous reign of the emperor that was glaring daggers at him. From the corner of his eye, Kuai could see his past self flinch in shock, eyes widened as he saw that Kuai was not wearing a mask - as he was - to protect his identity.

"You?!" Shao Kahn thundered incredulously, his eyes narrowing to slits, "You are a nobody - a last-minute fighter that Liu Kang brought into the tournament! You have no power to your name - no ability to overcome my strength!"

"Wrong," Kuai growled darkly, slashing with his hand to the side as a sword of ice appeared in his grip while the other left hand held a glowing ice ball, ready to be thrown. "I am Kuai Liang, the younger brother of the notorious Sub-Zero of the Lin Kuei who has taken his mantle. I am both a Lin Kuei and a Shirai Ryu warrior, trained in both clans to become the fighter that I am today. Now, I am the Grandmaster of the Lin Kuei. _I_ am your better, Shao Kahn, and as I did in the past, I will remove your head from your shoulders once again!"

"You insolent worm!" Shao Kahn howled in rage, lifting his hammer in preparation to strike. "Today, it will be _you_ who-"

Without a word, Kuai threw the ball of ice at Shao Kahn - it enveloped the large man in the blink of an eye, with the Medallion giving him the strength to keep the ice intact. 

"WHO'S NEXT?!" Kuai roared out in the silence of the amphitheater, holding another sword of ice in his left hand to match the one in his right.

After issuing his challenge, no one moved for a moment before Sindel screamed, directing the shrill cry at Kuai, who instinctively ducked behind a shield of ice he had summoned.

And then, all hell broke loose.

Kuai didn't even know who was next to him as he fought off both Sindel and Mileena at the same time, his powers giving him the edge in the fight. Whenever Sindel opened her mouth to scream, Kuai shot a stream of ice at her face to gag her, preventing her from crying out. Mileena was slightly more difficult to deal with because of her unpredictable movement and speed, but Kuai adapted quickly and was able to fight her off.

Suddenly, as Kuai was locked in battle with the two women, he heard the sound of ice shattering a short distance away. Cursing under his breath, Kuai had to roll on the ground and to the side to avoid the downward swing of Shao Kahn's hammer, with was now buried in the sand. 

Kuai looked up again to see a spear being thrown toward him from Shao Kahn's hand - he ducked under the projectile with the natural agileness he always had, looking up to see that Shao Kahn had shortened the distance between them to try and bring his hammer down on Kuai's head.

Before the hammer could connect on the downswing, Shao Kahn stilled once again, encased in ice. Kuai turned to the side, seeing his younger self with his palms out - he had been the one to freeze the dictator, this time. Past!Kuai ran to his older self, quickly offering a hand to pull him up and onto his feet.

"You really don't know how to keep your mouth shut, do you?" Past!Kuai sighed, shaking his head as he planted his back against Kuai's.

"You know me just as well as I know you," Kuai chuckled amusedly, able to pick up on his younger self's humor laced in the words he had spoken. "You already knew the answer to that question."

Past!Kuai huffed, shaking his head. "It's good to know that I still have a sense of humor - DUCK!"

Both cryomancers dove to the side to avoid the sai that was thrown at their heads. "I've got this bitch," Past!Kuai grunted, getting back onto his feet with a backflip that had Kuai envying his younger self's age. Still, he nodded in response. "She teleports weirdly - you'll figure it out!" was the short word of advice that Kuai gave his past self before he joined Tomas and Bi-Han against Noob Saibot.

"He's a lot stronger as a wraith," Tomas panted as Kuai helped him back onto his feet. "All that dark energy is powering him."

"I've got this," Kuai shouted over the nearby sounds of fighting as he pushed Tomas to the side, "go see if my younger self needs help!“

The enenra matched Kuai’s wild grin, nodding in response as he turned away to run in the opposite direction. Satisfied that Tomas would be better matched against the likes of Mileena or Sindel (he could faze into his smoke form to escape the shrill cries of the banshee woman), Kuai rushed up to help Bi-Han, who was locked in kombat with his younger self. 

“Why do you protect him?” Noob Saibot growled, spitting hatefully at his future self. “He held us back in the Lin Kuei; he was a nuisance and a waste of a life. We would be much better off without him!”

“I can't believe I was _you,”_ Bi-Han spat with disgust, narrowing his eyes at the wraith. “Kuai _worships_ you. All he’s ever done in his life was to make us proud; how can you not see that? Are you prepared to kill him? Can you break your promise? Remember that night? _We said that we’d always protect him._ Are you ready to break that promise?”

Kuai paused in his charge, seeing the hesitation in Noob Saibot. Bi-Han obviously knew how to pull on the emotional strings of himself. Kuai took this moment to survey the chaos on the battlefield. People were locked in battle left and right in a jumbled mess, the screams and shouts deafening to Kuai’s ears. As he turned back to his older brother, Kuai’s eyes widened when he saw Kano’s laser eye shoot awry, flying through the air to strike Bi-Han as he tried to persuade his younger self to help them.

“BI-HAN!” Kuai shouted, siding across the hot sand on a platform of ice to tackle his older brother to the ground. The two of them fell, but Kuai had been slightly off in his timing, as the beam had traveled too quick for him to react in time to get them both to safety. The cryomancer felt a searing pain over his eye as he fell to the ground next to Bi-Han.

As the pain registered, Kuai _screamed_ in agony, clutching his injured right eye that already had the scar over his eye. He had never screamed in pain before for _any_ injury - this scream was just as bloodcurdling as one of Sindel’s cries.

Bi-Han immediately knelt by Kuai’s side, pulling him up to a sitting position. “Easy, easy,” he urged, using the soft cloth of his uniform to dab away at the pouring blood. “Shit... I can't stop the bleeding long enough to see the extent of the damage. Stay here, Kuai. I'm going to get Hanzo!”

“No need,” Kuai heard Hanzo’s voice nearby. The Shirai Ryu must have heard Kuai from across the battlefield and rushed over as quickly as he could. Kuai could feel a calloused hand cradling his cheek gently, tilting his head up. The cryomancer felt a soft cloth resuming the process of gently cleaning the pouring blood that most likely had stained half of his face. “I'm cleaning the blood, Kuai. How does the pain feel?”

Kuai hissed lowly, groaning at the throbbing pain that was tormenting him. “... Fuckin’ hurts,” he managed to croak, just as Hanzo sucked in a sharp breath as the cloth was removed. “By the gods,” he spoke with more exasperation than worry, “the Fates must love tormenting you. It’s reopened the old scar again. We’ll have to wait later to see if you’ve been blinded or not.”

“Not again!” Kuai groaned before a conspiring grin appeared on his face. “Do you think that I could wear one of those eye patches, as pirates do?” Kuai joked, trying to alleviate the tense situation as he saw Hanzo stiffen with his one good eye. The Shirai Ryu warrior finished binding a piece of black cloth around Kuai’s head, effectively covering the eye. “Who did this?” Hanzo asked quietly, with the maliciousness behind his words clear as day. “Who did this to you?”

“It was Kano,” Bi-Han growled from behind Hanzo, making both Kuai and Hanzo look at the shadow manipulator’s face. A shadow crossed over Hanzo’s face as he lowered angrily, standing up with his kunai in his hand. “Sonya will eventually forgive me for killing him first,” Hanzo decided before he walked away, storming through the sand in a straight line toward Kano, who was fighting against Kabal and Sonya.

“Get in line, Hasashi!” Bi-Han called out behind him as he followed after Hanzo, hot on his heels. Kuai pushed through the pain, pushing himself back onto his feet as he turned to look again at the entirety of the Koliseum.

Suddenly, there was a furious buzzing from the sky that made Kuai pause to tilt his head back to look above him. He had expected to see clear blue skies, but the calming blue color had been concealed with a grey-black dotted texture that Kuai quickly realized was a swarm of insects. 

“D’VORAH!” he cried out as a warning to his allies and friends, before the insects descended from the sky, attacking those in opposition of Shao Kahn. Although the bugs obscured his vision, Kuai could barely make out through the haze a portal that had appeared in the center of the Koliseum. D’Vorah herself stood at the opening of the portal, calling out for Shao Kahn and his allies to retreat through the portal. After the conquerer and his henchmen had disappeared, the bugs dispersed, leaving Kuai able to see again.

Well, in one eye at least.

With the crisis temporarily averted, Liu Kang went to talk with Kotal briefly. Kuai groaned, pulling himself to the clustered group of those that had remained behind, loyal to Kotal Kahn and the Earthrealmers’ cause. Scanning the group, Kuai could see the older and younger versions of Erron, Ermac, and Reptile along with the present and past forms of most of the Forces of Light. The only past versions absent were those of Bi-Han, Hanzo, and Tomas. As Kuai dragged himself through the sand, a surprising amount of people broke off from the group to help him: Bi-Han, Tomas, Hanzo, Johnny, Erron, and even Ermac of the present rushed over to Kuai.

“Here, I’ve got you.”

“Dude, that was fucking _insane.”_

“I can't believe how stupid you were to just stand up to Shao Kahn like that...”

“Take my hand and lean on my arm, darlin’.”

Kuai was overwhelmed by the pressing requests from the others. Amid all the offers of help, Sonya seemed to pick up on Kuai's discomfort. She sighed, sharing a look with Past!Sonya before the General barked loudly, "ALRIGHT! That's enough; give him room to _breathe."_

As the others backed up sheepishly, Hanzo closed the distance between himself and the cryomancer. He had not spoken as he had rushed to help Kuai; now, he was slowly unwrapping the cloth on Kuai's face, removing it in a careful and gentle process. "We should get a medic to look at it," he spoke determinedly, using the pad of his thumb to wipe carefully at some excess blood. "The cut is undoubtedly deep, but I still can not determine how deep it is."

"I _hope_ that I'm blind in that eye, now," Kuai grumbled as he joined the group, crossing his arms in a resigned manner while he ignored the incredulous looks he got in his direction. "This is the _second_ time that this goddamn scar has been reopened - I may as well be blinded just to get people to stop cutting my goddamn eye open."

"Where did Shao Kahn disappear to?" Past!Kenshi asked, tilting his head curiously. "One second, I could sense him in the Koliseum, and in the next, he was gone along with his reinforcements."

"They took a portal to escape from the conflict," Ermac spoke gravely, standing on the solid ground as he regained his strength. "D'Vorah, the traitorous Kytinn, was there to help them."

"She doesn't have the capability to create portals of her own," Stryker analyzed, frowning in thought. "You know... maybe Shang Tsung _intended_ to pull Shao Kahn from the past. Think about it - he needs time to study the Hourglass to understand how it works, but he's vulnerable while he does that. He needs more capable minions than Netherrealm demons to protect him, so picture this: he brings Shao Kahn and the other Outworlders, promising them that he will secure their place in the new timeline. In return, they guard him while he prepares to use the Hourglass."

"Stryker is right."

They all looked up to see Liu Kang approaching with Kotal by his side. "In order to remove Shang Tsung from the Chamber of Time, we will need to weaken his forces. Kotal Kahn and his Outworlder companions will attempt to attack Shao Kahn and his Tarkatan forces, while we will return to the Special Forces - we must evaluate the impact of the time merger to ensure that no other drastic events have occurred."

"Call me, sugar," Past!Erron drawled flirtatiously to Past!Kuai, who rolled his eyes in exasperation, moving away from the cowboy as Liu Kang raised his arm, teleporting the Earthrealmers and bringing them back to the Special Forces HQ, unaware of the surprise that was waiting for them there...

* * *

"BY THE ELDER GODS!"

After finding himself in the large foyer of the Special Forces base, Kuai didn't have a chance to recuperate from the effect of teleporting suddenly, because there was yet _another_ problem that was staring at the group.

_Literally._

Standing before Liu Kang's group was yet another copy of the kombatants, but slightly different in appearance. The person who had spoken was Raiden, who was standing at the forefront of the _other_ group. Only, Raiden was not as decorated nor powerful-looking as the Elder God in Kuai's timeline. Behind Raiden stood a human-looking Liu Kang and Kung Lao, making Kuai's eyes widen in shock. Kuai could see yet _another_ carbon copy of himself in Raiden's group, looking older than himself and Past!Kuai.

"Oh, no," Liu Kang groaned, placing a hand on his forehead. "He's pulled in an _alternate_ timeline, not just the past."

"Is that you, Liu Kang?" the Alternate!Raiden spoke, frowning in confusion. "You have a celestial power that equals that of the Elder Gods!"

"In a previous lifetime, there was a Titan called Kronika who unwound time, much like this current situation," Liu Kang spoke solemnly, "Before, only our past selves were brought to our present, and we worked together to overthrow Kronika. You, at the time, had merged your power with mine, and I became a God of Fire and Thunder. I was able to defeat Kronika, but she unwound time not only for our timeline - but ALL timelines. I led this world through the events, bringing us to the present."

"In our timeline, we defeated Shao Kahn in the Mortal Kombat tournament but suffered heavy casualties. Those who were killed were resurrected as revenants under the hand of Quan Chi - after some time, we captured the sorcerer and forced him to restore the warriors back to their living states. We were in the middle of hunting for Shang Tsung before the time anomaly brought us here," Raiden explained.

Liu Kang nodded with a contemplative look on his face. "You have all come from an alternative timeline, then. We were able to defeat Shao Kahn without losing a life in the tournament. After, Quan Chi made several attempts to poison Earthrealm's Jinsei with a dark artifact, but we were successful in defeating him. He is now dead; we faced no more threats until Shang Tsung decided to gain control of the Hourglass, which can be used to erase timelines. He is not as experienced as I am in directing the Hourglass, which is why you were dragged into our timeline. However, if we gain control of the Hourglass once again, then I can bring you back to your timeline."

"Then we will aid you," Raiden spoke, bowing respectfully to Liu Kang, who returned the bow. Alternate!Liu Kang peered at the Elder God Liu Kang curiously, no doubt interested in finding out how events had transpired to have him transform into a celestial being. 

There was a profound silence as the ridiculousness of the situation settled in for everyone in the room. Kuai sighed, removing the cloth from his head as he walked up to Liu Kang. 

"I have fought Shao Kahn - _again_ \- and got my scar reopened - _again._ I am _tired,_ and my vision is starting to darken, most likely to blood loss. Can I go to the medical bay, or do I have to stand here until I fucking pass out?" Kuai groused.

"Well, why the hell are you still here, then?" Bi-Han snapped, stepping through the crowd. Upon seeing the older brother without any other distractions, the Past!Kuai and Alternate!Kuai jerked back in shock. Bi-Han gingerly took Kuai by the elbow, leading him through the crowds and toward the medical bay. "You are such an irresponsible idiot, sometimes," Bi-Han sighed, pure exasperation laced in his voice. "I _still_ can't believe that you stepped up against Shao Kahn, you fucking idiot."

"Where the hell is my goddamn injury-pity?" Kuai grumbled in a teasing manner, stepping into the hallway and away from the clusterfuck that was still in the foyer of the Special Forces base.

Hours later, Kuai was sitting upright in the stretcher, a pad of gauze once again covering his injured eye. Luckily, the physicians had determined that Kuai still had use of his eye, after seeing his pupils constrict under the light of a flashlight. Now, the cryomancer was staring blankly up at the ceiling, feeling restless with nothing to do...

...until Bi-Han punched his shoulder again.

"Oo~ow!" Kuai whined, rubbing the bruise on his upper arm to soothe the pain as he glared at Bi-Han through the eye that was left uncovered. "You fucking asshole."

"And you're a dumbass," Bi-Han snarked back, crossing his arms in a disappointed manner. "You just can never resist yourself, can you? Whenever you see someone that you don't like, you do everything in your power to fucking piss them off."

"He was asking for it," Kuai grumbled, feeling no regrets for stepping out of line and almost getting himself killed. "Someone just needs to _shut him the fuck up._ I'm so goddamn upset that he's back. You understand that we'll have to kill him _again,_ right? And that's not even counting Scorpion with his current vendetta against me. Am I correct in guessing that Noob bailed?"

Bi-Han grimaced, his mouth thinning into a straight line as he shifted in the seat he was sitting in by Kuai's side, throwing one leg over the other to cross them. "...Yes, he did. I'm sorry, Kuai - I really hoped that I could get myself to open my damn eyes, but I was so consumed in my rage and anger to see straight. We'll have to keep you safe; that means _no_ suicide missions or stupid decisions like the stunt you pulled earlier, got it?"

"...You're no fucking fun," Kuai grumbled, just as the doors to the medical bay were thrown open with a sudden force, banging against the adjacent walls. The sound made both Kuai and Bi-Han jerk suddenly, whipping their heads to see Liu Kang leading a large group of clamoring people into the room. Kuai pressed his body closer against the back of the bed when he realized that nearly all of the kombatants were there, from the past and alternate timeline. Kuai also picked up quickly that most of the people that _he_ knew were absent - most likely hiding somewhere and away from the questions of the other versions of themselves. It was a smart decision, Kuai wholeheartedly admitted.

Still, in the group, Kuai could still see Johnny, Kenshi, and Hanzo lingering at the entrance of the medical bay with the newcomers all inside the surprisingly large medical bay. Johnny and Kenshi were whispering under their breath - most likely about something funny, as Kenshi threw his head back with a cackle as Johnny fumed, crossing his arms. Hanzo paid the two jokers no attention, locking eyes with Kuai across the room.

 _"Are you alright?"_ he mouthed, eyes creased with worry at Kuai's condition.

 _"Yes,"_ Kuai mouthed back, nodding shortly. When Hanzo relaxed slightly in his posture, Kuai turned to look at the massive amount of people standing around him, and he drew the thin blanket up to his chin self-consciously.

 _Ew,_ Kuai thought to himself, cringing internally. _People._

Liu Kang already seemed as though he wanted to escape right then and there to the Heavens, where his fellow Elder Gods were, most likely watching over this shitshow and laughing at the kombatants' misery. The God of Fire and Thunder strolled immediately to Kuai's side, opposite of where Bi-Han was sitting. The god made quick work in unwrapping the gauze that some poor nurse had spent a good ten minutes in dressing. With the red-soaked absorbent material removed, Liu Kang's palm glowed as the energy coursed through his body, lifting the palm up to Kuai's face. 

The cryomancer blinked, feeling an odd ticklish feeling where the fresh, reopened scar was. When Liu Kang lowered his hand, Kuai immediately lifted a hand to gingerly touch his scar. He found that it was no longer bleeding profusely, closed slightly at the edges. Kuai turned to look at the nearby windowpanes, eyes widening with understanding when he saw the new state of his injury. While the scar was still red, the edges of the wound had been healed, and it looked as if it had been a month further in the healing process.

"I'm sorry that I couldn't do more," Liu Kang apologized, sitting down in the chair on the other side of Kuai's bed so that the god was able to see Bi-Han. "I currently don't have the strength nor will to exert more of my energy."

Kuai completely understood, nodding gratefully nonetheless to the god who had protected him and his friends through the years. Still, questions were being peppered at the poor god, making Liu Kang sigh exhaustedly.

"I will tell you everything from the beginning," he decided, speaking loudly so that he would be heard over the clamor. As the noise died down, Liu Kang began to speak. 

"Before Kronika wiped the timelines, my life progressed much like your timeline," Liu Kang spoke, nodding at Raiden. "I was a human. I fought in the Mortal Kombat tournament and defeated Shao Kahn, but in the sudden and unexpected invasion, my life was lost. Many of us had perished - from what I remember, only Johnny and Sonya had survived the aftermath. Kenshi had not joined our forces at the time. However, I was not restored to my human form. My revenant worked for Kronika, while my past self worked with Raiden to defeat the Titan. We merged together when my Raiden transferred his power to me."

"And then the timelines were erased?" Raiden asked.

Liu Kang nodded in confirmation. "With the Hourglass, I brought my closest friends to my side. The Elder Gods were no more - killed by one of their own, Cetrion, to appease her mother. I brought Kitana, Kung Lao, Fujin, and Raiden to the beginning so that they could help me in directing the course of events."

"I became an Elder God?" the Alternate!Kitana asked with a tone of amazement in her voice. She still looked as beautiful as she was as an Elder God, but Kuai could easily see that she was still just an ordinary Edenian. 

Liu Kang nodded, a soft smile on his face. "We married at the beginning of time, without Shao Kahn, Sindel, or anyone else to ruin it. Together, we oversaw the progression of events as time progressed."

"But with you as an Elder God, you couldn't have participated in the tournament," Alternate!Liu Kang interjected, piecing together the information that was finally being given to them. "How was Shao Kahn defeated in this timeline? And with no casualties?"

"I already had knowledge of how the tournament would progress," Liu Kang spoke, getting back into his narrative. "You are right - I was not able to participate in the tournament, and neither was Kung Lao or Kitana. Sonya and Johnny were there, and Jax was rescued from captivity on Shang Tsung's island. I also enlisted Nightwolf's aid, because I knew that Sindel would be there. I presume that this was akin to the events that occurred in your timeline?"

When he got nods in response, Liu Kang continued. "I needed to bring in more warriors to aid in Earthrealm's defense to ensure victory. One person I thought of was Kenshi, who had not participated in the tournament before. I also brought Stryker and Kabal to the tournament. If you remember, they were involved only when Outworld invaded Earthrealm. I knew that their abilities may help us in the tournament, so I brought them. However, I knew that we were severely short in numbers and skill. I needed someone who was well-versed in the ways of kombat, so I took a look in the Hourglass to try and see how the future could unravel, and who would end up defeating Shao Kahn."

"I was taken aback when I saw Sub-Zero at the beginning of the tournament - I knew that he only became involved when Scorpion killed Bi-Han, so I tried to see what had changed in his life. You see, the other kombatants I had brought to Shang Tsung's island were the same people - their upbringings were the exact same as they were with the people I had fought with as a human. However, Kuai was different," Liu Kang paused, looking to the cryomancer in the stretcher.

"Don't look at me," Kuai frowned, shaking his head rapidly. "I don't know how I lived my supposed "past life," Liu Kang."

"The Cyber Initiative occurred much earlier in the Lin Kuei," Liu Kang spoke, turning to Alternate!Kuai, whose eyes were narrowed in scrutiny as he took in the Elder God's words. "In your timeline, the Cyber Initiative occurred after Bi-Han had died in the Mortal Kombat tournament. However, in our timeline, the Initiative started when Kuai was only twelve years old. Bi-Han and Sektor would retain their humanity, as they convinced the Grandmaster that they didn't need the cyberization. Then, what happened, Kuai?"

"I ran away," Kuai shrugged, not understanding how any part of this mattered. "Tomas had been among the first cyberized, so I ran the fuck away like any sensible and sane person would do."

"And where did you end up?" Liu Kang pressed, the corners of his mouth tilting upward in amusement.

Kuai sighed, rolling his eyes. "I ran non-stop for an entire day and collapsed from exhaustion in Shirai Ryu territory."

"What?" Alternate!Kuai had an utterly incredulous expression on his face as he shared a look with Alternate!Hanzo, who had a similarly astonished and confused expression on his own face. "How did you escape death? The Shirai Ryu at the time despised the Lin Kuei. If you stumbled onto their territory wearing Lin Kuei colors, you would have been killed on sight."

“I almost did,” Hanzo spoke from the doorway, making several heads turn toward him. Unlike Kuai, he didn't seem uncomfortable or affected by the number of eyes that were locked on him. “I found him sleeping in the hollow of a tree and stopped myself from killing him - he was just a child, so I brought him to the clan for my father to decide his fate. After I confirmed his explanation to be true, he was raised in the Shirai Ryu, taught by the instructors. He was raised by my mother and father, quickly rising to the top of the Shirai Ryu ranks with his skill.”

“That didn't happen to you?” Past!Kuai frowned, looking at Alternate!Kuai, who had a troubled look on his face.

“No; like Liu Kang said, the Cyber Initiative occurred later in my life,” Alternate!Kuai spoke, “By then, I escaped with Tomas to the tournament. Bi-Han had been killed, and I wanted to find his killer to get revenge. It was there that I met Hanzo as Scorpion for the first time.”

Alternate!Hanzo nodded in confirmation. “Afterward, our rivalry was brought to a halt when we both became revenants under Quan Chi. When we were brought back and restored, we remained bitter enemies until Kuai reached out to me with an invitation to the Lin Kuei temple. There, he revealed that Sektor and Quan Chi were responsible for killing my family and clan. When he showed me that Bi-Han was innocent, he forgave me. From that day forward, the Lin Kuei and Shirai Ryu have been allies.”

Liu Kang nodded in understanding. “I remember that happening when I was human. However, the Kuai from this timeline had a different upbringing. His dual instruction in both the Lin Kuei and Shirai Ryu gave him a considerable amount of knowledge in the art of kombat. Furthermore, living in the Shirai Ryu with a caring family instilled a strong sense of humanity in him that I feared would have been quelled in the Lin Kuei.”

Bi-Han snorted amusedly. “Yeah, right. You try telling him to do something he doesn't want to do.”

Kuai shot his older brother a dirty look. “You shut the hell up.”

“I eventually persuaded myself to reach out to Kuai Liang, hoping that he would join the tournament for Earthrealm’s cause,” Liu Kang continued, ignoring Bi-Han’s and Kuai’s side comments. “I found him in an apartment in New York, where he fled to in the aftermath of the fall of the Shirai Ryu.”

Past!Kuai nodded slowly, his eyes filled with pain at the memory. “I was there on the night it happened,” he spoke in a quiet and hushed voice, wringing his hands tightly. “I could only escape with Satoshi. I worked as a mercenary to get enough money to fly to the US, where I continued to work as a mercenary. Satoshi was enrolled in school. When Liu Kang came to me, the thought of Satoshi growing up in a world controlled by Shao Kahn was enough to make me join him.”

“You made him proud,” Kuai reassured his younger self, who looked up from the ground. “He went to college and has his own photography studio. You became a second father to him.”

“Is he happy?” Past!Kuai asked, hope bleeding onto his face as a hesitant smile started to form.

“You can ask him yourself,” Kuai spoke, motioning with his head to the hallway. “He’s on the Special Forces base right now - he might be freaked out, with you being younger than he.”

“Satoshi is alive?” Alternate!Hanzo stilled at the revelation, frozen with shock. Kuai quickly realized that this other Hanzo had not gotten so lucky, based on the astonished look on his face. Kuai felt pity and empathy for him, understanding his pain from his own experiences.

“We fought in the tournament,” Liu Kang continued, determined to finish. “Kuai defeated Shang Tsung in the first tournament, giving Earthrealm the victory. In that tournament, Kuai met Hanzo as Scorpion. He had to fight against him as well as Bi-Han as Sub-Zero. Scorpion killed Bi-Han in the tournament, and he was brought back as Noob Saibot. However, there was a proposed second tournament that would have Outworld rescind its claim over Earthrealm. However, I knew about Outworld’s invasion after we beat Shao Kahn. I changed the terms, pushing the rules to include no hostile takeover of Earthrealm. This way, if they decided to invade, I could intervene more quickly with the other Elder Gods. We fought in Shao Kahn’s Koliseum, where Kuai killed Shao Kahn by beheading him. When I killed him as a human, I had punched him through the chest, and he was able to be brought back to life. However, because Kuai had removed his head, it was impossible to bring Shao Kahn back. There was no major invasion. Sindel tried to attack us, but she was quickly dealt with by the Elder Gods intervening. We had won without casualties.”

“How were Tomas, Hanzo, and Bi-Han brought back to life?” Past!Kuai asked hesitantly, refusing to meet Hanzo’s or Bi-Han’s eyes. He seemed to be afraid of looking at them as if they would look back at him with disappointment.

“Kuai, Kenshi, and I journeyed to the Cyber Lin Kuei after the tournament. We killed Sektor and installed a virus into the system. I was able to restore Tomas and Cyrax to their human forms before the virus took hold of their cybernetic forms. With Sektor gone, Kuai became the Lin Kuei Grandmaster, rebuilding it with Tomas at his side. When Quan Chi tried to poison the Jinsei, we drove him back to his fortress in the Netherrealm. Johnny was almost killed, and I used the effect of destroying his revenant to bring Hanzo and Bi-Han back to their human forms.”

“And then, they killed _me,”_ Kuai commented, sitting on the edge of the bed with his injury slightly healed. 

“How many times do I have to apologize?” Bi-Han groaned, holding his head in his hands in shame. “I still have goddamn nightmares about it, to this day...”

Liu Kang sighed, remembering the headache of that day. “Bi-Han convinced Hanzo to kill Kuai. At the time, Hanzo didn't know that it was Kuai - he only knew him as “Sub-Zero,” because Kuai was afraid of Hanzo and how he would react. Bi-Han held Kuai over the edge of a precipice with a river below at the edge of the Lin Kuei territory, with Hanzo being held back by Saibot, who was helping Bi-Han to ensure that he ended up killing Kuai. He had lured Kuai out there with a fake message from Tomas about an attack. As Kuai was dangling over the edge, Bi-Han realized the error of his ways and attempted to bring Kuai back. However, Kuai ended up falling. We thought him dead until we worked with the Outworlders to locate the amulet that Quan Chi used to try and destroy Earthrealm’s Jinsei. We discovered that the new hire, a warrior going by the name of “Ghost,” was Kuai. He had survived the fall and washed ashore in Outworld, living his new life in secrecy as he thought that Bi-Han would be happier without him. However, in a brawl between Jax and Ermac, Kuai intervened and ended up dying - for real, this time.”

Kuai rubbed his chest in an afterthought, remembering how the spike from the column had impaled him. He could faintly recall how cold he felt as he slipped away from life.

“He became a revenant under Quan Chi’s control, but we captured Kuai and defeated Quan Chi when he attempted to use the amulet to poison the Jinsei again. We forced the sorcerer to restore Kuai, and everything was normal once again. Then, today, Shang Tsung broke through the Chamber of Time’s defenses, tampering with the Hourglass to bring us here,” Liu Kang finished.

“Great,” Kuai snickered, looking over at Johnny and Kenshi in the doorway. “Just another fucking Tuesday, am I right?”

“...Unfortunately, it appears so,” Kenshi sighed, shaking his head with exasperation. “All I want is a goddamn break - a chance to _breathe._ But no~oo, fucking Shang Tsung decides to not only take my sight but also ruin my fucking life.”

“Um, hi~?”

A hesitant voice called out from the doorway. Those at the door parted to let Cassie be seen, the young woman holding a tablet of some sort. “Hi, everyone. I'm Cassie Cage.”

“Cage?!” both the pairs of Past!Johnny and Past!Sonya as well as Alternate!Johnny and Alternate!Sonya shouted out in shock, staring at their daughter.

“Cassandra Carlton Cage is your daughter-to-be,” Bi-Han spoke in a monotonous voice, not caring about the shock on their faces.

“What is it, Cassie?” Kuai asked, trying to see why Cassie had come into the medical bay.

The commander cleared her throat, looking down at the tablet as the Johnny and Sonya pairs from the past and alternate timeline argued with each other. The sight sent Kuai, Kenshi, and Johnny into a state of hysterics, giggling madly while Bi-Han and Hanzo shared an exasperated look.

“Kotal Kahn has located Shao Kahn’s camp,” Cassie spoke authoritatively, ignoring the chaos in the room. “He is planning to launch the attack, but I've held him back - I was thinking that the Special Forces could join him. With our forces combined, victory is guaranteed.”

Liu Kang nodded in approval. “If Shang Tsung wishes to erase the timelines, he will need energy from the Jinsei. I have alerted the Elder Gods - they are protecting the Dragon Grotto, where the Jinsei seeps up and into the Jinsei Chamber. They are also familiar with the course of events. However, they can also gain access to the Jinsei from the Sky Temple, in the Jinsei Chamber. While the Special Forces aid Kotal’s attack on the camp, let me bring Raiden as well as my alternate self, Kung Lao, and Kitana to protect the Jinsei Chamber.”

“There’s also something else,” Cassie warned, pulling up her tablet to read the information. “Our satellite technology captured images of a sudden appearance of what looks like a black market facility. However, under further examination, we saw that it was a factory. They’re building cyborgs, and we caught imaging of Sektor and Cyrax walking on the facility grounds. Shang Tsung must have brought Sektor back as well to produce cyborgs to defend the Chamber.”

Kuai’s head snapped up, gritting his teeth. “That sorcerer won't be getting any help from a _single_ machine,” he growled, standing on the ground. Memories of the horrors of the cyberization factory in the Lin Kuei swam through Kuai’s head, and he had to force the bad thoughts away.

“Take Tomas, Bi-Han, and Hanzo along with you, along with your past and alternate versions,” Liu Kang suggested. “That should be more than enough to bring an end to the Cyber Lin Kuei. If you see and encounter Cyrax and Tomas in the factory, alert me by sending someone to let me know. I can restore them to their human forms once again to save them from the process of deactivation.”

With that, Liu Kang turned to face the entire group. “Stay safe,” he cautioned. “These are strange times - if you die, I may not be able to return you back to where and whence you came from.”

The message sent a chill of fear down Kuai’s spine as he took in the tense and anxious faces of those around him, expressing what the cryomancer was feeling at that moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just in case it wasn't made clear, the Alternate! versions of the characters are from a timeline that more closely follows the progression of events in the game. I wanted to add them to the mix, because I thought that it would be funny to have them react to how different the NEW timeline is compared to theirs. Some discrepancies in the Alternate Timeline are:
> 
> \- ALL of the revenants were restored, not just Jax, Kuai, and Hanzo.  
> \- Kronika wasn't there (she’s erased from all timelines)  
> \- There are no Kombat Kids, as Sonya and Johnny didn't get together, and Jax never met Vera. Kenshi, likewise, didn't meet Suchin.


End file.
